Château Latour 2016 - 1st Great Cru Class
2016 VINTAGE
The 2016 vintage, remarkable for the definition and concentration of its wines, will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on both the palates and the memories of tasters.
Château Latour enjoys an exceptional location. This proximity to water tempers climatic extremes, particularly the risk of frost. The heart of the estate, the Enclos, is particularly privileged, with its gravelly hillsides rising 16 meters above the estuary. This unique terroir is a combination of ancient Günz gravel and gravelly sand, which promotes deep rooting of the vines, ensuring a regular water supply, even during dry years. These geological characteristics give the estate's wines unparalleled depth and structure.
On this historic and privileged terroir, Cabernet Sauvignon, the dominant grape variety in the estate's vineyard, fully expresses its aromatic richness and tannic structure. Alongside it, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, with an average age of 40 years, are carefully cultivated to produce grapes of optimal quality, a guarantee of the excellence of Château Latour wines.
Each plot of the vineyard, certified organic since 2015, is treated with the highest standards. The harvest, carried out by hand, is followed by meticulous sorting of the bunches to retain only the most perfect fruit. The wines are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, allowing precise control of the fermentation temperature and preserving the most delicate aromas.
After fermentation, the wines are aged for 18 to 20 months in French oak barrels, the majority of which are new.
By Neil Martin, February 2025
The 2016 Latour is a vintage I tasted several times after bottling. On one occasion, it warranted a perfect score, but that was debatable then since that vintage hadn't been released. Now that it's due to hit shelves next March, does the wine still deserve that triple-digit distinction? Undoubtedly, yes. Deep purple in color and deeply lucid, it seems to glow in the glass.
The bouquet plays with you, a bit of a femme fatale, aloof for the first few minutes as I chatted with the superstar of this first growth, winemaker Hélène Genin. Then it magically merges and gains incredible intensity with blackberry, pencil lead, base notes of oyster shell, and hints of Japanese wakame. The aromatics tell you exactly which château you're dealing with.
The palate is medium-bodied with delicate tannins, again, as I've found before, blessed with seductive symmetry and ineffable balance. Firmly on the dark side of the fruit spectrum, there's an underlying minerality. Veins of blackcurrant run through the lingering finish. It's everything you could really want in a Latour. The 2016 can be pronounced in the same breath as the 1900, 1924, 1959, 1961, 1982, and 2010. Magnificent.
By Antonio Galloni, January 2025
The 2016 Latour is magnificent. Regal and nuanced, with tons of energy, the 2016 is immediately captivating. The bouquet announces a significant wine, a feeling that builds across the wine's mid-palate. There's a real sense of exuberance in 2016, yet the wine remains fairly classic in its structural composition. The supportive tannin clusters extend the effortless and beautifully lingering finish. Unforgettable.
Data sheet
- Designation
- Pauillac
- Year
- 2016
- Color
- Red
- Acceptance
- 97,1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2,6% Merlot, 0,3% Petit Verdot
- Alcohol level
- 13,03°
- Apogee
- 2028 - 2050
Jean-Marc Quarin / Quarin.com - Noté 100/100 (january 2025)
Georgina Hindle / Decanter - Noté 100/100 (february 2025)
Neal Martin / Vinous - Noté 100/100 (february 2025)
Antonio Galloni / Vinous - Noté 100/100 (january 2025)
Jeff Leve / The Wine Cellar Insider - Noté 100/100 (september 2019)
Lisa Perotti-Brown / The Wine Independent - Noté 99/100 (november 2022)