Château Latour, Grand Vin de Chateau Latour, Premier Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, 1990

Overview of the Wine
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Chateau Latour started to be highly recognized around the world, thanks to the reconquest of the British market and the development of the wine business in Northern Europe. The aristocracy and other wealthy groups of consumers became very enthusiastic about a few great estates, of which Latour was one. And that was how Thomas Jefferson, ambassador of the United States in France, and future President, discovered this wine in 1787. At that time, a cask of Chateau Latour was already worth twenty times as much as one of ordinary Bordeaux wine.

The reputation of Chateau Latour was consolidated during the 19th century. It was confirmed in 1855, when the government of Napoléon III decided to classify the growths of the Médoc and the Graves for the International Exhibition in Paris: Chateau Latour was classified as a First Growth. The existing chateau was built during this "Golden Age", between 1862 and 1864. 

Winemaker
Francois Pinault

Grape / Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

Origin
Paulillac, Bordeaux, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
During vinification, the vintage had the richness of the 1989 but with more personality and complexity. The wines presented all the characteristics of exceptional years: rich, complex bouquet, with aromas of candied cherries, chocolate, cedar and tobacco. A surprising richness on the palate, with extraordinary volume, class and density. For the first time in a great year, a generic Pauillac was produced, thereby enabling the quality of Les Forts de Latour to be improved by selection.

100 Points - Wine Spectator (#1 of Top 100: 1993)
This is one of my favorite wines ever. Full-bodied, with layers of silky fruit and masses of currant, mineral and berry character. Amazing. It's a wine with perfect structure, perfect strength. It's 1961 Latour in modern clothes. It's hard not to drink it now. '89/'90 Bordeaux non-blind horizontal. Best after 2008

99 Points - Decanter
A superb wine, ageing well, the 1990 Latour still seems deceptively youthful, with plenty of ripe mulberry and blackcurrant fruit, but there is also a graceful evolution, with truffle, earth and smoke notes. The texture is supple and warm, but it avoids the softness of some of the clarets from 1990. The tannins are still reasonably firm and the wine should continue to improve in the cellar for at least another 20 years. Drinking Window 2022 - 2062.

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
A classic, powerful, regal Latour, the 1990 is solidly in its drink window and has a still-ruby hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of darker currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and graphite. It opens up beautifully with air and has the perfect mix of great fruit and purity with mature and complex, cedary nuances. Full-bodied on the palate, perfectly balanced, and with sweet yet still present tannins, it can safely be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years.

95 Points - Wine Advocate
This is one of the more perplexing Latours to evaluate. It has plenty of sweetness as well as a gorgeous, rich fruitiness, but it lacks the firmness one finds in more recent great vintages such as 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008. There is plenty of sweet, ripe currant fruitiness, abundant glycerin, and full body, but I’m still waiting for that extra nuance of complexity to emerge. It’s all there, but the wine still seems to be more monolithic than one would expect in a wine approaching 19 years of age. It is not the sure-fire winner I thought it was in its youth, but then again, I don’t have any reason to doubt that more complexity will emerge. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2035. Release price: ($1500.00/case)

95 Points - Vinous
Finally, the 1990 Latour is a vintage that I have not drunk for five years. It is surprisingly youthful on the nose, with dense black fruit, cedar, violet petals and graphite, and it is less opulent than previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied with beautiful poise, and the tannins are more polymerized than the magnum poured in Bordeaux in 2019, though still extremely long and composed on the finish. It is drinking perfectly now and will continue to do so for many years.

Product size: 750ml