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  • Country ranking ?

    1 767
  • Producer ranking ?

    123
  • Decanting time

    45min
  • When to drink

    Now
  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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The Story

The chateau makes three different wines. The so-called grand vin, that is Château Latour itself, a second wine called Les Forts de Latour and a third wine simply called Pauillac. The grand vin comes from the original part of the vineyards, called the Enclos. This is the most prestigious part of the vineyard where the vines have a fine view of the Gironde estuary. The tradition in Bordeaux says that vines that overlook the water make the best wine. The proximity to the estuary actually gives a slightly higher temperature, helping the grapes to good maturity. The Enclos is around 45 hectares out of a total of 88 for the whole estate.

The grape varieties are 75 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 % Merlot, 1 % Cabernet Franc and 1 % of Petit Verdot. The planting density is high, 10,000 vines per hectare. Every year the chateau’s viticulturist replaces a certain number of dead vines. These young vines are marked and treated separately. They are harvested separately and they are not used in the grand vin until they are at least 10 years old.

The Enclos is under conversion to organic farming since 2015. It takes three years to be certified so it means that we will see the first organic Château Latour in 2018. Only copper and sulfur, mixed with different plant infusions, are used to fight diseases in the vineyard. Instead of insecticides they use sexual confusion. Only organic fertilizers are used when needed and no herbicides.

The barrel aging starts in December. Château Latour is put in 100 % new oak from the Allier and Nièvre forest in the central part of France. The chateau works with 11 different coopers. This is important to the winemaker as the coopers all have different styles.

 

The wine spends six months in the first year cellar where it will also undergo the malolactic fermentation. The barrels are tasted regularly and the winemaker decides the blend for the grand vin, the second wine and the third wine. He decides if the press wine should be included or not. The wine is then moved to the huge and magnificent second-year cellar where it will spend 10-13 months, so in total around 22 months of aging before it is bottled. 2014 was bottled in June this year. During the barrel aging the wine is racked and topped up regularly, every 3 months. At the end, the wine is fined traditionally with egg whites, 5-6 whites per barrel.

Château Latour is often a textbook example of a Cabernet Sauvignon. No wonder, as often almost 90 % of the wine is made from this grape. It is a powerful wine in its youth, with aromas of cedar wood and black fruit, made even more powerful with the aging in 100 % new oak barrels. It is packed with fruit and tannins and it stays young for at least 10 years. This is a wine you really should wait for, say 10-15 year or longer. It needs time to show what it is capable of.

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Wine Information

1960
The weather conditions

After a very fine spring, the vine was exceptionally well advanced at the end of June and, despite a mediocre summer of which August and September were quite bad, the harvest began two weeks earlier than usual, on 12 September. It was a year of ripe Merlot, which produced rounded, supple and fruity wines. The Petit Verdot, too, was very ripe, another proof of a good maturation .
The musts were frank, rich, fat, colored and aromatic.


Vintage quality and tasting comments

The first tastings showed a well-colored wine with good vinosity and body. Since then, this wine has confirmed those first impressions, and if it is not as renowned as it could have been, it is because it was born in the shadow of the 1959 and was eclipsed by the very great 1961.

Quality: Mediocre year



The moment for optimal drinking and best way of serving

The wine has passed its optimum for some time, but it still remains remarkebly balanced
The tanins are supple and round. The wine is not overly concentrated but it shows a pleasant harmony.
Reasonable finish yet a bit austere.
Keep the bottle vertical at least half a day to settle the sediments at the bottom of the bottle. Then slowly pour the wine into a decanter in order to get rid of these sediments, and serve.

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Tasting note

color

Full and Dark

ending

Medium, Spicy and Harsh

flavors

Earthy and Spice

nose

Open

recommend

No

taste

Perfectly balanced, Light, Fruity, Harmonious and Dry

Written Notes

The first tastings revealed a wine with a fine colour and good vinosity and structure. Since then, this wine has confirmed our first impressions. Coming between the two exceptional years of 1959 and 1961 its full worth has not been recognized. Not very concentrated but harmonious.

Deep red. Ripe raspberries and raspberry drops on the nose. Very elegant and refined wine with beautiful balance and deliciously sweet aftertaste. It was charming stylish and graceful wine, which just tasted magnificently. It should be able to be like that for additional 4-5 years.

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Information

Origin

Pauillac, Bordeaux
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