Château Latour, 1er Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2007
In the words of the chateau’s Director, Frédéric Engerer, 2007 was a difficult year at Latour. The crop was down, yielding only 11,000 cases of Grand Vin, more press wine than normal was used to underpin the structure, and even slight sugar correction was needed. Having said this, the sample we tasted showed real style and polish, and in the context of the vintage Latour 2007 is an impressive wine. It shows gentle aromatic qualities but great depth, with fine hints of oak and leather; on the palate the tannins are fabulously smooth, the richness of fully ripe, energetic cassis fruit grows markedly, and the structure, balance and length of the wine are both faultless. A very elegant and well-made wine.
critic reviews
Surprisingly, the 2007 Latour has a bolder and more outgoing bouquet than other vintages from this era, adorned with plush blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry fruit, slightly more floral than its peers. There's a fine definition here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very well balanced, although not the most complex in the line-up. It tapers in a little toward the finish and is more austere, but it is still very pleasurable and one of the more approachable vintages of this era. Tasted blind from double magnum at a 20-year retrospective at the château.