Ex-château release: 2008 Latour & 2013 Forts de Latour
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"Damn me for saying it, but I actually think the 2008 Latour will turn out to be even better than the 2005 or 2000."
So wrote Robert Parker, tasting 2008 Latour from cask in 2009. Ten years on, Latour have just announced the ex-château release of this wine, along with 2013 Forts de Latour.
You may remember in 2012 Latour announced a move away from en primeur, in favour of offering their wines when ready for drinking. Today they have for the first time released Forts de Latour 2013, and re-released Latour 2008.
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2008 Latour market performance since release (courtesy of Liv-Ex)
Ex-château stock carries the assurance of having aged under the most optimum conditions (even if this does not necessarily affect the value). More interestingly for us, these latest releases highlight how great wines can potentially be made in any vintage. The grand vin received superlative notes on release, and when tasted again in recent months. We are planning to re-taste both wines when we visit Château Latour in early April and it will be interesting to see if their ratings from the critics and trade hold, or possibly even improve.
Available Spring 2019
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2008 Château Latour, 1er Cru Classé Pauillac (ex-château) |
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"This takes a heartbeat to kick in, and then the weight and impact of this wine slowly kicks in. Those Cabernets have lift and punch, and although it's not ethereal like the Ausone or even the Lafite, it has power, structure, impact and kick, and you know it's going the distance. It has really lovely menthol notes which play around on the finish, preceded by layers of cassis and liquorice. It's more accessible than many Latours at 10 years old - just give it another couple of years to fully get into its stride. 2020-2038. 98 points." Jane Anson, Decanter, Jan 2018
"The 2008 Latour has a more bold and concentrated bouquet compared to the Lafite-Rothschild, scents of blackberry, bilberry, iris, cigar humidor and cold wet stone that all surge from the glass. This is beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with firm in tannin, a light marine influence infusing the black fruit, a little spice towards the finish with superb persistency. It is an authorative Latour as usual, one now beginning to enter its stride although naturally it will last for two or three decades with ease. 96 points." Neil Martin, Vinous.com, Feb 2018
£2550 per 6 bottles in bond, £2660 per 3 magnums in bond
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2013 Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac |
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“Bright and lively, with pure kirsch, raspberry and damson plum fruit. Long, refined tannins and a lovely iron note line the finish. Almost silky, revealing a hidden briskness and a lingering iron accent. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Tasted non-blind. 89-92 points.” Wine Spectator (4/2014)
“Dark red cherries, plums, smoke and tobacco meld together gracefully in the 2013 Les Forts de Latour. Layered, supple and caressing on the palate, this is one of the juicier 2013s readers will come across. With its expressive floral and spiced notes, the soft, resonant finish is especially appealing. The blend is 62.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.1% Merlot and 2.2% Petit Verdot. 89-91 points.” Vinous (4/2014)
£825 per 6 bottles in bond
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Minimum order: 1 case of 6 bottles or 3 magnums.
Payment: on receipt of invoice.
Shipment: available Spring 2019.
Delivery: delivery, duty & VAT charged at prevailing rates at time of clearance from bond.
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