Latour 2017

Black core with purple rim. Subdued but inviting nose, with an attractive dustiness to the restrained, pure black fruit. Tannins are so dry but so not drying, paper-fine finesse. Great refinement and purity with no attempt to seduce at the moment. Coming back to this after the 2006, it seems so fruity. Dark-red fruit and even a touch of violets. Really opened up in the last 20 minutes. So fragrant now. Deep and long. Excellent balance and refinement. Freshness does not come from the acidity, suggests technical director Hélène Génin (pH is 3.75). Incredibly long. 13.3%. Drink 2030-2050

The nose has a fragrant woodland violet charm the palate depth of fruit brooding mid richness black cherry backed by bitter chocolate and liquorice. There is balance better with powerful black cherry and lighter fresher bilberry the finish has depth concentrated richness. 2030-48

Tasted with Hélène Genin, technical director at Latour. This is a very focussed and intense wine without the power and muscle so often associated with this label, but with so much direction and concentration it makes up for it. It is not heavy at all, but it is very fresh and exciting. There are vines in here from between 1900 and 1930 and also newer plantings which grow slowly in competition with older plants surrounding them and this brings fabulous complexity to the finished wine. It is a Cabernet vintage and this is an extraordinary Cabernet-dominant wine.

The 2017 Latour has a backward bouquet compared to the Les Forts de Latour, very well defined but it needs coaxing from the glass. Eventually it clicks into fifth gear, offering subtle iris and wild hedgerow aromas, just a touch of mint developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm but fine tannin that provides this Grand Vin with real backbone, also a sense of symmetry. It might not possess the flair or quite the enthralling precision of the 2016, but it is a quintessential Latour in many ways with a very long persistence on the finish.

This is very dense and tight with a super center palate of dark fruit with blackberries and currants. Full-bodied, so precise and focused. Great length and depth. Superb. Classic great Bordeaux. Wow. Pure cabernet sauvignon.

The 2017 Latour is a blend of 92.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.8% Merlot and 0.1% Petit Verdot with 13.3% alcohol and an IPT of 66. Deep garnet-purple in color, it starts off a little broody before exploding from the glass with powerful scents of ripe blackcurrants, blackberry pie and preserved black cherries plus touches of cedar chest, fenugreek, cumin seed and charcoal with emerging wafts of violets, dark chocolate, star anise and fertile loam. Medium-bodied, this may be one of the most elegant, great Latours ever, revealing layer upon layer of fresh, crunchy black fruits with a vast array of exotic spice and floral nuances, framed by super ripe, super fine-grained tannins, finishing very long with mineral sparks coming through. This is so nuanced and perfumed that I imagine, in 50 years, this wine could be mistaken for a great red Burgundy. Drink: 2026-2075

The 2017 Latour is very deep purple-black in color and sings of crème de cassis, warm plums, blackberry pie and cinnamon stick with hints of sandalwood, violets, star anise, baker’s chocolate and a touch of beef drippings. Medium-bodied, firm, grainy and very structured with taut, sustained mid-palate fruit, it gives loads of black fruit and spice layers and a very long, mineral-tinged finis