Magnum Chateau Latour - Pauillac 2004 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe8/1/2014

Tasted at Bordeaux Index annual 10-year on tasting from an ex-château bottle and then later at the château. The Latour 2004 has a rather more aloof, distant bouquet compared to the more immediate Lafite-Rothschild. This is a wild animal checking you out from a distance. It reluctantly unfolds with fresh tobacco, dried herbs, fennel and almost Provençal scents that unfold wonderfully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a solid, structure entry that soon gives way to the layers of ripe black fruit on the mid-palate. There is more depth here than the Lafite, and the finish is more generous with elegant graphite tinged black fruit. This is candidate for the best wine of the vintage. You could broach bottles now and give it a couple of hour's decanting, though I would prefer to afford mine another 2 or 3 years in bottle. Tasted March 2014.

La Revue du Vin de France

18,5 / 20

the8/29/2007

D'un grand classicisme, qui mêle droiture et raffinement de texture, ila un corps somptueux et une allonge superbe. la structure tannique encore un peu ferme devrai s'assouplir. Laissez-lui au moins 5 ans pour se fondre.

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe7/2/2007

A terrific effort from Administrator Frederic Engerer and owner Francois Pinault, the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Latour exhibits a strong cassis character intermixed with notes of crushed rocks, earth, cedar, and forest floor. Racy, elegant, but powerful with medium to full body, and sweet tannin, it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring, and should keep for three decades. It is a very impressive offering. Also tasted: 2004 Pauillac

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

94 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2007

Bright ruby-red. Classic aromas of currant, plum, graphite and minerals. Suave and smooth in the mouth, with a compelling sweetness and lushness for the vintage. At once easygoing and wonderfully complex, conveying a powerful soil character. The finish is ripely tannic, sweet and very long. This is wonderfully expressive today but the young 2006 may have even longer aging potential. Along with Chateau Margaux, my candidate for wine of the vintage

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/31/2007

Captivating aromas of currant, black licorice and spices, with just a hint of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Structured and racy. Best after 2011. 10,000 cases made

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92-95 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2006

Full ruby-red. Expressive aromas of redcurrant, minerals and spicy oak. Wonderfully sweet and smooth in the middle palate, with superb purity of redcurrant and mineral flavors. Offers lovely flesh and length, but this is in an oaky phase at the moment. Engerer notes that the 2004 is "more predictable and easier to read" than the 2005 and agreed with my observation that most 2004s are surprisingly expressive today-even the wines that were being prepared for the bottling.

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2006

The wine of the vintage, Latour’s 2004 boasts a dense purple color as well as a classic nose of ink, black currants, sweet cherries, crushed rocks, and minerals. Even though it is aged in 100% new French oak, there is not a hint of woodiness. It possesses a beautiful texture, moderately high tannin, fabulous concentration, and a long, full-bodied finish. A brilliant wine from a challenging vintage, it should be at its apogee between 2013-2035. Kudos to everyone at Latour!

Wine Advocate

95-97 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/2/2005

After a 2003 production of less than 10,000 cases, there are a whopping 15,000 cases of the 2004 Latour. The harvest began on September 23 (Merlot) and finished on October 19. About 51% of the production made it into the final blend (89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc). At this early stage, Latour appears to be the wine of the Medoc, and provides additional evidence of why Latour is pushing slightly ahead of most of its first-growth rivals. It boasts an inky/purple color in addition to a sweet perfume of crushed rocks, black currants, raspberries, and hints of wood as well as cold steel. It reveals the most density and depth of any of the Medoc first-growths. Manager Frederic Engerer believes the 2004 is closest in style to the 2002. By the standards of the vintage, which did not produce many big, powerful, deep, full-bodied wines, it is a large-scaled yet elegant wine with sweet tannin and plenty of depth. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.

TAST

19 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/28/2005

Grand vin, très fidèle à son terroir avec sa densité remarquable, sa touche minérale qui met particulièrement en valeur la tension et l'énergie des cabernets sauvignon du millésime. Le tannin est ferme et frais, dans l'esprit du 1996 mais avec plus de perfection formelle dans l'extraction.

Carnets de dégustation RVF

9 / 10

the4/22/2005

89% cabernet-sauvignon, 10% merlot, 1% petit verdot. Le château signe en 2004 un vin exceptionnel, avec la plus forte proportion de cabernet-sauvignon jamais atteinte dans Latour. Robe dense, nez de petits fruits noirs ( cassis ) assez profond attaque en bouche dense, belle longueur, joli moelleux, un rien de fluidité, beau gras, finale de mûre : un millésime harmonieux avec un fruit bien défini, de la pureté et une grosse masse tannique ( avec plus de tanins que le 2003, au même niveau que le 2002), mais très soyeuse.

Wine Spectator

95-100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/30/2005

Intense currants, minerals and blackberries. Very floral and aromatic. Full-bodied, with super fine and long tannins. It's concentrated but all in harmony. Tight and silky. This has a wonderful core of fruit. Racy. Very, very impressive. This is 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Normally it's 80 percent. They say it's Cabernet vintage, and it shows in this wine.