Latour - Pauillac 2014

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe4/2/2024

The 2014 Latour is a vintage that I have enjoyed a few times. Now at ten years old, it has a very intense and, for Latour, quite an opulent bouquet that is stylistically more akin to Mouton than Lafite-Rothschild: cigar smoke, black truffles and mint emerge with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins. This is a multi-layered Pauillac dispensing with some of the strictness it showed in its infancy. Very focused, with traces of tobacco and graphite towards the finish, this is a seriously fine Latour that should age gracefully in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

Vinous

95

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2022

The 2014 Latour has a beautifully defined bouquet with intertwined blackberry, briary, crushed stone and pencil box scents. This takes time to unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with tobacco and graphite-infused black fruit framed by svelte tannins. This has a fine bead of acidity, cohesive with straight-down-the-line Pauillac tropes of graphite and tobacco towards the finish. Strict and aristocratic, the tobacco element has been accentuated with time. Superb.

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe3/28/2018

The 2014 Latour has a backward and austere bouquet that does not respond to coaxing from the glass. This is so broody and sultry, only reluctantly eking out pencil shaving and sous-bois aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannin, finely judged acidity, quite dense and “solid” at the moment and yet there is elegance and stylishness to spare here. It just needs to manifest more charm and personality à la Mouton-Rothschild, but do not under-estimate this Latour whenever it is released. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

Deeper, richer, more concentrated, and stately than the Les Forts De Latour, the 2014 Château Latour is the wine of the vintage from the Médoc. Possessing a flawless, full-bodied, sexy and surprisingly open style on the palate, it’s relatively closed aromatically and only reluctantly gives up notes of cassis, chocolate, and lead pencil shavings. With incredible tannin quality, a layered, concentrated mid-palate, perfect balance and a great finish, it’s a classic Latour, as well as one of the few 2014s that demands cellaring. Hide bottles for 5-7 years and I suspect it will continue drinking nicely over the following three decades.

Jamessuckling.com

99

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

So much violets, licorice, pencil, flowers and currants define this on the nose before it moves to fresh mushrooms. It’s full-bodied yet compacted with tension and a compressed center palate. Incredible, fine-grained tannins and energy. The length is truly great. Should be even more beautiful in 2024. Give it time.

Wine Spectator

97

byJames Molesworththe2/8/2017

This shows terrific cut and drive from the start, with mouthwatering acidity and a chiseled graphite note leading the way, backed by a core of pure cassis and blackberry preserves. Licorice snap and sweet tobacco details flitter through the finish, where the graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on. Best from 2022 through 2040. 7,632 cases made.

Vinous

96

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

The 2014 Latour is deep and beautifully layered in the glass, with deceptive power and plenty of structure lurking in the background. Powerful and vivid, yet also super-refined, it possesses remarkable nuance and polish for a young Latour. It will be interesting to see if it develops more explosiveness or remains on the more understated side of things. There is plenty of time. If the current schedule of releases from bottle is any indication, the 2014 will likely not be released before its 15th birthday.

Le Point

18,5

byJacques Dupontthe5/21/2015

Nez, floral, rose, bouche fraîche, élégante, de l’éclat, du charnu, long, fin, beaucoup de classe. 

Vinous

93-96

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Latour is one of the most inward wines of the vintage. It is also incredibly refined, with less overt muscle and tons of pure sophistication. A striking bouquet laced with lavender and violet melts into layers of dark red and blue stone fruits in a wine that is clearly at an embryonic stage in its development. The Latour tannins are there, but they are pretty much buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. In 2014, the Grand Vin represents 36% of the chateau's production.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-97

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

Fleshy, ripe, concentrated and long, with refined tannins, lush textures, depth and layers of sweet, ripe, dense, juicy berries, the wine promises and delivers purity, length, richness and a serious, age worthy, vibrant character. If I can afford it when it comes up for sale, I’d buy it! Using 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, 0.6 Cabernet Franc and .03 Petit Verdot that reached 12.89% alcohol, the Grand Vin represented 33.9% of the production. 95-97 Pts

Wine Advocate

95-97

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Latour 2014 is a blend of 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9.2% Merlot, with a pinch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Harvest took place from 18 September with the Merlot vines and finished with the Cabernet, picked between 6 and 15 October. The alcohol level here comes in at a modest 12.89%. It has a very pure and seductive bouquet with an irresistible cocktail of black and red fruit (perhaps more towards the red side of the fruit spectrum compared to Lafite-Rothschild), flanked by hints of black olive and pencil lead. The palate is underpinned by a lattice of very fine tannin matched with well-judged acidity. Despite the irregularity of the season this is quintessential Latour with that unmistakable stoic, aristocratic finish. This is a serious Grand Vin that should age in consummate fashion, and there is some irony that possibly the finest contribution to the 2014 vintage will not be made available to consumers for a number of years. In a word - regal.

Asian Palate

95-97

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

Intense dark fruits with immense tannins and acidity. A wine that shows great aging potential with dense, very compact tannins and tightly wound flavors. A wine to lay down and age for many decades. Harvest was end of September to mid-October. There is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend.

Jancis Robinson

16,5

byJancis Robinsonthe4/17/2015

51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot. 26% of production. Very dark crimson. Light and fleshy on the nose. With a hint of excellent oak (sample from old oak). Round and floral. Very forward. A real charmer. Fine tannins and light acidity. Lingers in the mouth even though it’s not that powerful. Pretty snazzy.   13%Drink 2018-2025

Decanter.com

19

bySteven Spurrierthe4/17/2015

My Left Bank wine of the vintage. Superb cassis fruit from 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon yet almost understated for Latour. Wonderful ripe texture and chalky tannins, the Latour soil showing more than the 'Latour style' of the past. Pure Cabernet over pure gravel, beautifully expressed. Drink: 2022-2050 (96)

Jamessuckling.com

98-99

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

Aromas on this are so complex already with blackcurrants, red chilies, stones and iodine. Then it turns to blackcurrants and blueberries. Full-bodied, yet tight and compressed with an extraordinary finish and intensity. This goes on for minutes. Vibrant. A good part of the production is made with biodynamically grown grapes. Alcohol is less than 13%.

timatkin.com

98

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

René Gabriel

18

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

89.9 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2 % Merlot, 0,6 % Cabernet Franc, 0.3 % Petit Verdot. Ein Drittel der Produktion ergab Grand Vin. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Blaubeeriges Bouquet, Tabak, florale Noten und ganz weit hinten einen fein minzigen Schimmer zeigend. Im zweiten Ansatz spürt man sogar eine feine Eucalyptusnuance. Im Gaumen fest, fleischig, die Muskeln zeigen eine deutliche Adstringenz auf, trotzdem bleibt er in seiner Grundaromatik im eher kühlen Cabernetbereich. Das Finale hat einen gewissen Druck, war aber auch schon viel länger. Dies logischerweise bei den grossen Jahrgängen. Und das ist leider ganz sicher nicht ein ganz grosser Latour. Eher maximal ein Grosser. Hoffentlich irgendwann! Mich hater enttäuscht, denn nach 85 Jahrgängen Latour- Erfahrung, wovon 25 Mal lückenlos als Primeur verkostet, hätte ich da - von den Jahrgangsvorgaben her - da doch recht viel mehr erwartet. Kommt Zeit - kommt Latour? Gleichzeitig konnten wird den heissen, gigantischen Latour 2003 verkosten. Das war dann auch gleich ein megagrosses Handicap für den coolen 2014er. Denn die gefühlte Punktedifferenz zwischen den beiden Jahrgängen war für mich gefühlt mehr als die zwei Zwanzigstel, mit welchen ich den jüngsten Schützling taxiere. Wobei diese Primeurverkostung ja irgendwie eh irgendwo ein Witz war. Denn – der Latour 2014 kommt gar nicht auf den Subskriptionsmarkt. Er wird dann irgendwann erst in ein paar Jahren angeboten. Obwohl ich den Wein am 1. April verkostete, ist das leider kein Aprilscherz. Und wenn es wirklich einer wäre, dann ein besonders schlechter… 18/20 2025 – 2055

Wine Spectator

96-99

byJames Molesworththe3/30/2015

Dense, but remarkably silky in feel, with gorgeous raspberry and blackberry fruitembedded with anise, violet and iron notes. A terrific graphite spine drives thefinish. Shows great energy throughout. This is all length and cut, with just a hint ofclassic Bordeaux austerity. The one first-growth in 2014 that feels like it could befrom a cooler vintage.