Latour 2012

This sets out its stall with confidence. Fennel and mandarin peel aromatics, followed by cassis, blackberry, liquorice bud, pencil lead and graphite that maintain grip and momentum through the palate. Tannins remain firm at 10 years old but there is a gourmet feel to the fruit and this is a vintage of Latour that will be ready to drink relatively young. Harvest September 24 to October 16, under rainy conditions that turned the concentration from impenetrable to a more approachable style - an impression I have got every time I have tasted this wine since its release.

Looks a little less blue than Les Forts. Scented and lovely on the nose. Playing the playful card. Dense and rich. Vibrant. Not made to show well at this stage - which may be a good thing. A little tiny bit of green but very fine and confident. Just rather hidden and restrained. Not the butch style of some years. A little short.

The nose has brooding black fruited power and the palate has richness and depth of flavour a mailed fist in a velvet glove. Liquorice, chocolate and coffee beans all add to the richness of flavour the powerful mix feels slightly lighter towards the back. The finish is long and expressive. 2020-40.

All of the first growths made very good wines in 2012, especially given the growing season, but Latour was the star turn. What's so impressive about the wine is that the château has allowed the vintage to speak, rather than imposing a style upon it. That's why the wine is so light and poised, with a grace that is almost Pinot Noir-like. Silky, refreshing and aromatic, with subtle notes of red fruits and pomegranate and medium-weight tannins. Very graceful. Drink: 2018-35

The 2012 Latour has a potent bouquet of blackberry, graphite and distinctive tertiary notes [instead of more marine scents observed four years earlier]. Initially, the palate is slightly disjointed on the entry and displays a subtle herbal quality, plus hints of pencil shavings. The 2012 demands a few minutes to really coalesce and achieve the precision and pixelation that have been the hallmark of this Grand Vin in its youth. Layers of black fruit coat the mouth, and a bitter edge lends tension, particularly toward the very persistent finish. Though its release implies, and the rhetoric from the château indicates, that it is ready to drink, if you want my advice, cellar the 2012 for another five or six years to witness it in full flight. It has always been a candidate for wine of the vintage... just have a bit of patience. Drink 2027-2055.

Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Latour put in a deeply impressive showing. It has a precise bouquet: graphite-infused black fruit, hints of iodine and a light marine influence—shucked oyster shell and Japanese nori. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, well-judged acidity, quite sensual and harmonious with seductive purity on the finish. This possesses exquisite precision and detail that evinces a wine of genuine class. Of course, perhaps this tasting note is irrelevant for the moment, at least until the Grand Vin is released onto the market. It will be intriguing to re-taste it when it does see the light of day. Tasted January 2012.

Reminiscent of the 2008, the 2012 is a classic Latour, but is neither profoundly concentrated nor potentially one of the greatest efforts from this exceptional terroir. While noble, racy, stylish and medium-bodied, the normal power and density one expects of Latour is missing in this vintage. It is made in a more elegant, softer, lighter style, undoubtedly a smart decision since pushing extraction with potentially less than ideal grapes could have resulted in rustic aromas and flavors. This medium-bodied Latour reveals moderate tannin, but it should be drinkable when released, and last for nearly two decades. Chateau Latour harvested its Merlot between September 24 and October 4, and most of the crop ended up in Les Forts de Latour and Pauillac. The Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between October 5 and 16, the Cabernet Franc on October 8 (obviously a wet harvest), and the Petit Verdot on October 12. The 2012 Latour, which is off the market as a wine future until the Pinault family and Frederic Engerer agree on when to release it (probably 7-8 years from now), is a blend of 90.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.6% Merlot and the rest a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot. Only 36% of the crop was utilized in the grand vin, which achieved 12.8% natural alcohol.