Pauillac de Latour 2009

There is not much produced, but if you can latch onto a bottle, the 2009 Pauillac offers a great introduction to what Engerer and Pinault have achieved at this Pauillac first-growth property (the smallest first-growth in the Medoc). It exhibits notes of unsmoked cigar tobacco, cedar, forest floor, black currants, sweet cherries and a hint of charcoal. Enjoy it over the next decade.

Colours remarkably similar for these three wines. with the Latour grand vin just a little less purple than the other two but all three very dense and concentrated purplish crimson. Mild and fresh on the nose. Not desperately expressive on the nose but with amazing roundness of fruit on the palate. Dry finish and truly Latour-like - nothing at all like a third wine! Surely way ahead of other AC Pauillacs de Latour. Testing the limits of vulgarity. Tastes a little bit more than its 13.64% but why not? Frédéric Engerer says it's a horizontal wine - Roman laid back. I wonder what they will charge for this? Very very lush - almost showing off! Just a little bit of hardness on the finish. Lots of press wine presumably - press wine from Forts de Latour. But masses of richness on the front. It will presumably always be a bit tough on the finish but it does deliver some of the Latour experience.