The Double 98-Point 2017 Chateau Latour
Chateau Latour has just released the double 98-point scoring 2017 vintage and it’s a fantastic buy. Highly rated by the critics, it’s one of the best wines of the vintage and is very sharply priced against the comparably-scored 2015, making it a very tempting prospect.
Latour barely puts a foot wrong, and the 2017 is no exception to this rule, as scores and notes from the critics are excellent.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown said in her tasting report that “2017 is all about finesse and aromatic intensity as opposed to brute power, revealing an unmistakable face of Latour that lovers of more classical Bordeaux styles will not want to miss” and calls it “beautiful”.
Jane Anson found it “A seriously pretty Latour… with real lyricism. Beautifully layered, with muscles that have a cushion of air underneath them”. Each of them awards it a stellar 98 points.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown’s score is interesting as, for her, this matches another excellent but slightly more mature vintage, the 2015. As the table below shows, the 2017 shows a not insignificant price advantage, making it one for shrewd buyers to pick up as close to release as possible.
Since leaving the en primeur system in favour of releasing wines with a little maturity, demand has been strong. This 2017 is set to follow that trend and may well sell out.
The Offer:
Offered subject to remaining unsold. Available ex our cellars in Singapore later in 2024.
2017 Chateau Latour
SGD $4,275 ($4,659.75 inc GST) per case (6*75cl OWC)
SGD $2,140 ($2,332.60 inc GST) per case (3*75cl OWC)
A blend of 92.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.8% Merlot, and 0.1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Latour has a deep garnet-purple color. It sashays out with showy notes of warm cassis, mulberries, and Morello cherries, followed by emerging tertiary hints of unsmoked cigars, rose oil, cardamom, and star anise, with a waft of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and mineral-laced, featuring loads of exotic sparks and velvety tannins, finishing on a lingering anise note. Beautiful! While it’s in a nice place right now, another 2 to 4 years in bottle should allow for even more of this gorgeous, emerging perfume. It will easily cellar for another 30 years beyond that. (2024) www.thewineindependent.com Drink 2026-2060
98 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A seriously pretty Latour, not a phrase often associated with this most concentrated of wines, with real lyricism. Beautifully layered, with muscles that have a cushion of air underneath them. As during En Primeur, its sculpted character highlights the impact of biodynamic farming, but bottle ageing has seen it take on the customary concentrated layers of this Pauillac First Growth. The signature pencil lead, crayon, mint leaf and crushed rocks are here in abundance, along with cassis and bilberry fruit, kissed with rosebud and peony florality, and textured slate tannins that slow things down through the mid palate. A delicious wine, vibrant, balanced, decades ahead of it, even if the soft sculpting of the vintage means it will be ready to drink earlier than 2016 or 2018 on either side. First year in full organics, although not certified until 2019, and the first without Cabernet Franc in the blend. 100% new oak. No frost on the Grand Vin plots, in a year where many parts of Bordeaux were impacted, proof again of what a favoured site this is. (2024) www.janeanson.com
98 points Jane Anson