Le Pauillac de Chateau Latour, Pauillac 2011

A Latour with a steely backbone and a savory character. Blueberries and currants with hints of violets. Full body, with a long and racy finish. The texture is very tight and racy. Classy for the vintage.

A blend of 84.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, the 2011 Latour represents only 34% of the crop. It hit 13.1% natural alcohol. One of the vintage-s most compelling wines, it possesses a dense ruby/purple color as well as a sweet, open-knit personality with ripe tannin, superb intensity, good purity and harmony, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and lots of crushed rock, floral and black as well as blue fruit notes in addition to hints of ink and forest floor. This beautifully rich, savory Latour will be surprisingly drinkable in 4-5 years, and should age easily for two decades or more.

(84.5% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 0.5% petit verdot; IPT 87; a 34% selection; 13.1% alcohol): Deep ruby. Pure, refined aromas of red fruits, dark plum, cedar and delicate spices. Enters the mouth dense, suave and juicy, offering blackcurrant, mineral and graphite flavors enlivened by strong but harmonious acidity. Very graceful on the long finish, showing extremely fine tannins. A comparatively light style of Latour, but looks to be another very successful wine from an estate that has been on a roll of late. I think it will pick up more flesh and fill out nicely with bottle aging.