Château Latour - Grand Vin Pauillac (Premier Grand Cru Classé) 1999 (750ml)

Add to Wish List

Price: $1086.99

Producer	Château Latour
Country	France
Region	Bordeaux
Subregion	Pauillac
Varietal	Cabernet Franc
Vintage	1999
Sku	111493
Size	750ml
ABV	13.00%

Château Latour Description

The history of Ch. Latour dates back at least to the 14th century, even though the vineyards for which it is now world-renowned were not fully established until the 17th century.

The estate is located at the southern edge of Pauillac, bordering the St. Julien vineyards of Ch. Léoville Las Cases, and covers 78 hectares. After a period when it was under English ownership, in the form of the Pearson Group, owners of the Financial Times, and Harvey’s of Bristol, the property passed to Allied Lyons in 1989 and was then bought in 1993 by the French billionaire industrialist François Pinault, whose empire was to grow to include Yves St. Laurent, Gucci and Christie’s Auction House.

Pinault has delegated day-to-day control of the estate and its wines to his dynamic Président, Frédéric Engerer, under whose stewardship a major programme of investment has taken place which has seen Latour rise to an undisputed pre-eminent position in the Bordeaux wine hierarchy.

Engerer produces 3 wines: the Grand Vin, which always comes from the vines immediately surrounding the château, known as L’Enclos; Les Forts de Latour, the second wine, created in 1966, and now regarded as a great wine in its own right, certainly worthy of Classified Growth status; and finally a third wine, simply called Pauillac de Latour, usually the product of young vines. The second wine, Les Forts de Latour, always comes from a distinct location, rather than simply being the vats rejected as not quite worthy of inclusion in Latour itself, so it has its own distinct identity.

A vintage with great character. Dark, complex, balanced, with excellent concentration, rich in fruit. First impressions on tasting were of aromas of very ripe black cherries, wild strawberries, blackcurrants and plums. The tannins are silky, the palate is long and sleek, with great freshness.

Critical Acclaim

RP94

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 1999 Latour doesn't quite dominate the competition the way the 1994 does, but it, too, is a lovely wine, exhibiting notes of blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, rich soil tones and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, with velvety tannins, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish, it is showing beautifully today.

WS93

Wine Spectator

Focused and fresh, with milk chocolate and berry aromas. Subtle and refined on the nose. Full-bodied and very elegant, featuring a solid core of ultrafine tannins and a long, long finish. So much finesse here. Still tight, needing time in the bottle to open. No longer big, this is in just the right proportions for the vintage.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2012.

Customers Viewing This Page Might Also Like These Items