Château Latour 1989

Pauillac

First growth of Médoc

France - - Red wine

75 cl - 12.5% vol.

Price/btl: €431.80 inc. VAT

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Press review

Parker # 129 (6/26/2000) : 89 Maturity: -2020

This wine was tasted at a vertical tasting held in Charlotte, North Carolina several days before the Christie tasting. The Latour staff spoke far more highly of the 1989 than my experience has shown. It possesses many characteristics that make great vintages of Bordeaux so alluring - softness, overripeness, and sweet fruit. The problem is that there are insufficient quantities of these components. An evolved dark ruby color reveals amber at the edge. The nose offers aromas of caramel, coffee, ripe black cherry and currant fruit, cedar, and spice box. Although medium-bodied, with low acidity, the wine lacks richness in the mid-palate, and is surprisingly abrupt in the finish. It is a very fine, delicious Latour, but it is hard to believe it will attain the weight and flavor dimensions its producers suggest.

Wine Spectator (6/30/2001) : 92

Firm and solid. Dark ruby color. Mint, cassis, berry and cherry. Intense. Full-bodied, racy and fine. Tobacco, cherry and berry. Slightly short.

The property in brief

The origin of the name of Château Latour is due to a fortress that Pons, Seigneur of Castillon, allowed Gaucelme de Castillon in 1331 to build in Saint Lambert. In 1378, Château Latour en Saint-Maubert, called later Château La Tour and then Château Latour, entered the annals of history. As a fortified place guarding the estuary, it was seized under the 100 years war by the Anglo-Gascon army and would stay under British domination, until the capitulation's treaty, just after the Battle of Castillon, on 17th July 1453. Today, the tower does not exist anymore and has be replaced by a pigeon house, probably built with the stones of the old Château between 1620 and 1630. At the end of the 17th century, after a succesion of sales, inheritances and marriages, the Latour estate became the property of the Ségur family which kept it during 300 years. In 1855, it was classified as First Growth under Napoleon. The existing Château was built between 1862 and 1864 during the golden age of Latour, which was highly recognized around the world. In 1963, the Marquis de Ségur sold 75 % of his shares to Harveys of Bristol and Hallminster Limited (Pearson Group), both British companies. In 1989, Allied Lyons, already owner of 25 % of the shares, bought Pearson's as well and became the majority shareholder until 1993, when they sold their shares to François Pinault,, French Entrepreneur and businessman. The Latour vineyard covers around 78 hectares of the Pauillac appellation, of which 47 hectares surround the chateau, these being referred to as l'Enclos. Only the grapes from these 47 hectares make the "Grand Vin de Château Latour";