2010 Latour, Pauillac (OWC)

“Just over a third of the harvest made it into the grand vin to give a wine of startling concentration and purity, with lovely, forward cassis fruit and a hint of spice on the attack. The texture is fresh but not overly tannic, and there is a surprisingly sweet, silky feel cloaking the powerful extract. Best to wait another decade before trying this, but it will last a half-century beyond that. Moderate temperatures followed a flowering disrupted slightly by cool weather and rain. The summer was dry and sunny, if somewhat cool. The Merlot was picked beginning on the 20th of September and the Cabernet 4th of October. The final blend is just over 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with most of the balance being Merlot. (CC)” (03/2022)

“The 2010 Château Latour is a monumental wine that exemplifies what greatness in Bordeaux can be. Still deep ruby/purple in color, it offers a stunning bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, leather, and graphite. Full-bodied and deeply concentrated, it has a layered, expansive mouthfeel, building tannins, and the unmistakable class and regalness that define Latour. Just now entering the early stages of its prime, this beauty will be drinking brilliantly long after I’m gone. Drink 2025-2100.” (06/2025)

“The aromas of flowers such as roses, violets and lilacs jump from the glass then turn to dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries. It's full-bodied, with velvety tannins and dense and intense with a chocolate, berry and currant character. This is juicy and rich with wood still showing a bit, but it's all coming together wonderfully. Muscular yet toned. Another perfect wine like the 2010. Try in 2022.” (11/2013)

“The 2010 Latour is deep garnet in color, and—WOW—it erupts from the glass with powerful crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and blackberry pie scents plus intense sparks of dried roses, cigar boxes, fragrant earth and smoked meats with aniseed and crushed rocks wafts. Full-bodied, concentrated and oh-so-decadent in the mouth, it has a firm, grainy texture and lovely freshness carrying the rich, opulent fruit to an epically long finish. It is incredibly tempting to drink now, but I suspect this hedonic experience isn't a scratch on the mind-blowing, otherworldly secrets this time capsule will have to reveal given another 7-10 years in bottle and continuing over the following fifty years++. (LPB)” (03/2020)

“The 2010 Latour can be summed up in two words: “The king.” It convincingly asserts its superiority over other 2010s, including First Growths, in terms of its aromatic complexity, precision, balance, intensity, complexity and persistence. Simply a faultless Latour that ranks among its greatest achievements. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting. (NM)” (04/2020)

“Stern, almost severe initially, this great wine takes time to show its immense fruit power. Black currant and blackberry notes are packed into the wine, along with an impressive array of spices from new wood that gives a more exotic element. At the end, though, it has a fine, structured sense of proportion. Obviously for aging over decades, so don’t drink before 2022. *Cellar Selection* (RV)” (05/2013)

“Unbelievably pure, with distilled cassis and plum fruit that cuts a very precise path, while embers of anise, violet and black cherry confiture form a gorgeous backdrop. A bedrock of graphite structure should help this outlive other 2010s. Powerful, sleek and incredibly long. Not perfect, but very close. *Collectible* (JM)” (03/2013)

“This is deeper, richer and more intense when compared with the other Latour wines. Very withdrawn fruit on the nose though, with a firm blackcurrant character to it. Real fruit intensity here, with perfumed damson skin in particular. A lovely bright fruit lift on the nose, defined, not crystalline but still very bright. And yet on the palate this is a real powerhouse; there is a pile of black grip here, a succulent substance too, and yet it is so tightly packed in it still manages to feel ungenerous, withdrawn, certainly very deeply concentrated. Only with time do the tannins show themselves, even though they are towering and with a real force of life behind them. Very, very impressive, showing much more force than the 2009, and yet it does not have that heart-stopping, tear-jerking purity that vintage displayed at this stage. A superb quality here and my favourite of the three first growths in this commune. 18.5-19/20 points” (04/2011)

“90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.5% Petit Verdot. Cherry, cassis, spice and the graphite and cedar aromas of classic claret of the good old days. On the palate, there's plentiful tannic grain that is matched by dense core fruit, although the dominant flavour is more mineral and elemental. Lives up to expectations of grandeur. 18.5/20 points (RH)” (06/2025)