Chateau Latour 2016

A legendary First Growth and one of Bordeaux's greatest wines, Château Latour reveals profound aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry, graphite, cedar, tobacco, violet, dark chocolate, and subtle spice. Monumentally structured yet impeccably refined, it delivers extraordinary concentration, vibrant freshness, seamless tannins, and an exceptionally long, age-worthy finish.

Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, Wagyu steak, roast lamb, duck breast, venison, black truffle dishes, aged Comté, or braised short ribs.

100 Points - James Suckling

This has a fascinating nose of tar, tobacco, graphite, dried flowers and blackberries. Remarkably youthful at 10 years of age. The palate is structured and medium- to full-bodied, yet the structure is tempered by elegance. The tannins are integrated, firm, cohesive and well aligned with the delineated dark fruit profile. Youthful and accessible now, but will evolve exceptionally well. Drink or hold. 10 Years On retrospective.

99 Points - Wine Enthusiast

98–100. Barrel Sample. Reaching for 100 points, this Latour has great structure and power. Almost pure Cabernet Sauvignon this year, it is a grandiose wine, packed with tannins, rich black fruits and a solid core that will allow it to age over so many years. The acidity and crisp black-currant flavor at the end means the fruit can only shine even more as it develops. Superb.

98 Points - Wine Spectator

Densely packed with cassis, blackberry and black cherry preserve flavors, this glides rather than pounds, with remarkable purity, sleek graphite and tobacco notes, and a long finish that glistens like just-polished steel. Don't think the sleekness means a lack of longevity; this is balanced like a Calder sculpture, and the graphite spine is the bedrock that will let this sashay to being one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage. Best from 2025 through 2045.

96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

On paper, the combination of this estate and this vintage should be a match made in heaven, and the 2016 Latour has already received resounding acclaim among the wine trade and commentariat. The result in the glass, however, didn't quite meet my lofty expectations, offering up aromas of cassis and blackberries mingled with cigar ash, pencil shavings and saddle leather, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered palate that's undeniably concentrated and muscular but also somewhat austerely structured, with firm tannins that assert themselves on the somewhat carnal finish. For sheer intensity of flavor, the 2016 is certainly impressive, but it appears to be missing the purity and precision that one might expect for a first growth in a great 21st-century vintage. Perhaps the wine's somewhat wild, rustic characteristics will integrate more seamlessly as more bottle bouquet develops, but my immediate reaction to tasting it was to purchase two more cases of the superb 2016 Forts de Latour.