Château Latour - Pauillac 2016 (750ml)

Vinous 100 points AG
(Latour Latour Red) "The 2016 Latour is magnificent. Regal and nuanced, with tons of energy, the 2016 is immediately captivating. The bouquet announces an important wine, a feeling that builds through the wine's mid-palate. There's a real feeling of exuberance in 2016, and yet the wine remains quite classic in its structural composition. Beams of supporting tannin extend the effortless, beautifully persistent finish. Unforgettable."

Vinous 100 points NM 
(Latour Latour Red) "The 2016 Latour showed in stunning fashion out of barrel. Bottled in July 2018, it has retained a very deep, almost opaque color. The utterly beguiling bouquet features blackberry, graphite, crushed rose petals and a touch of licorice, though this ebbs with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with such fine tannins that the power and backbone of this Latour are barely registered by the senses. There is bewitching symmetry here, and incredible length, plus a persistency on the finish that is enthralling. Is it a perfect Latour like the best bottles of the 1928, 1961, 1982, 2000 and 2010? I think it might be. The 13.5% alcohol is a whole percentage point less than the 2010, making it more approachable."

Decanter 100 points

"A monumental wine from Latour. This isn't yet ready to drink but offers an impactful and promising palate full of muscle, tension and length. A complex nose filled with pencil lead, crayon, cola, mint, dried herbs, violets, and tobacco, layered with cocoa powder and espresso nuances. On the palate, it is both generous and controlled, suave and slick, with an effortless texture that fills the mouth with bright red fruits and cool, stony elements. The wine expands beautifully, with a powdery, fleshy grip leading to a long, mineral-driven finish marked by wet stones, graphite, and cola. Still compact and somewhat caged, the tannins remain firm and structured, almost austere in their tension. It carries a sense of power and poise, but still with supreme charm. 3.7pH."

Jeb Dunnuck 100 points

"Retasting the 2016 Château Latour next to both the 2010 and 2022 had me feeling like a kid in a candy store. Needing lots of air to show at its best, its dense purple hue is followed by quintessential Latour notes of smoky blackcurrants, scorched earth, graphite, and lead pencil shavings. This carries to a medium to full-bodied Pauillac that has lively acids, a pure, seamless, layered mouthfeel, building yet perfectly ripe tannins, and that rare Latour mix of power, austerity, and elegance that makes this château so compelling. Pulled from just 36% of the total production, the 2016 is 92.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7.1% Merlot hitting 13.5 alcohol with an IPT of 83. It's primarily academic at this stage, but it's starting to round the corner and clearly, with its level of fruit and overall balance, offers pleasure. I think it needs another 5-7 years to hit the early stages of its prime drinking window and will have 75-100 years of overall longevity."