($350-$499) Full medium ruby. Wonderfully sweet, rich aromas of cassis, minerals and bitter chocolate. A huge wine with almost painful intensity; solid as a rock and at the same time utterly sensual and creamy, with great inner-mouth complexity and depth of flavor and a complete absence of rough edges. "Almost too easy today," says Engerer. Sweet notes of roasted nuts and chocolate add to the wine's early appeal. A powerful, hugely rich Latour with a great building finish and perfectly suave tannins. This was really the last vintage of Latour with a meaningful percentage (3%) of cabernet franc, as the old franc vines were removed after 2000. But Engerer noted that Latour planted 1.5 hectares of petit verdot, which can be expected to represent up to 4% of the blend by 2004.

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Dark crimson. Light, bracing nose. Not the most intense Latour vintage but it is at least more Latour than 2000. Very solid and mineral with some lift and I should think no disappointment in the long run, though I would strongly recommend the more expressive Forts in the short term. The grand vin is obdurately dry and introvert at the moment.

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The 2000 Latour (a relatively abundant 14,000 cases compared to what they produced in 2009, 2008, or 2005) is "packed and stacked." The extremely rich, black/purple color to the rim is followed by a wine with some subtle smoke, loads of minerals, a hint of vanilla, and plenty of creme de cassis as well as roasted meat and a slight scorched earth character. Broad, savory, and rich, the wine seems to be about 5 years away from full maturity and should drink well for at least 40-50 more years. A great effort, probably eclipsed only by 2003 and 2009.

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A young wine that electrifies every taste bud in your mouth. Compacted aromas of crushed currants and minerals, with roses and lilacs. Full-bodied, with masses of silky, refined tannins and a finish that lasts for minutes. Stunning. Best Latour since 1990. 14,165 cases made.

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