2020 Latour
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Tasting notes
The 2020 Le Pauillac De Château Latour is clearly outstanding, possessing an undeniable hint of Latour-like class and style. Juicy red and black currants, smoked tobacco, graphite, and lead pencil nuances all shine here, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. It's a beautiful Pauillac that will keep for two decades.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Pauillac is superb. The aromatics alone are compelling. Lavender, sage, menthol, black pepper and licorice all jump from the glass. This just screams with Cabernet character. Dark, vibrant and super-expressive, the 2020 is an absolute delight. Its vibrancy and delineation are both admirable. What a gorgeous, gorgeous wine this is.
Tasted blind. Black core with purplish rim. Very sweet and very oaky with a hint of vanilla. Thick, chewy and powerful, dense tannins with a streak of freshness through to the long finish. Extreme and not fully meshed so the acidity shows a little on the finish. Going back to it, I find more refinement and better integration. (JH)
The 2020 Latour has a succinct Pauillac nose: pencil-shaving-infused black fruit, beautifully integrated oak and hints of cassis bubbling up with aeration. The palate is very refined with blackberry, raspberry, blood orange and touches of balsamic. Very tensile and quite complex on the finish, notes of black pepper linger on the aftertaste. This is a seriously fine First Growth, but it's more backward than its peers at the moment, which underlies the slightly lower score (for now). Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
About the producer
One of Bordeaux’s five First Growths, as classified in 1855, Ch. Latour is among the most famous addresses in Pauillac and the world. The estate is renowned for its long-ageing, powerful and structured wines.