Ch.Latour 2006 750ml

WA # , #181 (Feb 2009)
The 2006 Latour performed even better from bottle than from barrel. Only 38% of the production (10,000 cases) made it into the grand vin, a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot and a small amount of Cabernet Franc. From barrel, I thought it was a modern day version of the 1996 or 1986, and certainly the 1996 comparison still holds. I thought it was somewhat austere from barrel, but that is no longer an issue. This is a beautifully rich Chateau Latour boasting a dense ruby/purple color, a sweet, smoky, charcoal, cassis, graphite, and forest floor-scented nose, full body, an attractive freshness, and sweet, noble tannins. This layered Latour is one of the vintage's top dozen or so wines. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030. Latour's brilliant manager, Frederic Engerer, has purchased 15 hectares of old vine Grenache and Syrah in the Cotes du Rhone region, the Drome, at a cool-climate elevation. I can't wait to see the first vintage from this Cotes du Rhone project. Drink 2013 - 2030.

Château Latour is one of Bordeaux's – and the world's – most famous wine producers. It is situated in the southeast corner of the Pauillac commune on the border of Saint-Julien, in the Médoc region. Rated as a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, it has become one of the most sought-after and expensive wine producers on the planet, and produces powerfully structured Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wines capable of lasting many decades.
Latour's development as a single property came with the beginning of a long unbroken period of connected family ownership, based around the de Segur name, also associated with Mouton and Calon-Ségur. This began in 1670 and lasted 290 years, although after the French Revolution Latour was divided up and not fully reunited until 1841. The château is currently owned by Francois Pinault and is part of his Groupe Artemis.
Typically for the region, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates in the vineyard, accounting for around 80 percent of plantings. Merlot makes up most of the remainder, and there are also small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The grand vin is only made from the vineyard plots surrounding the chateau and shown on the 1759 plan of the domaine. Latour makes two other wines: Les Forts de Latour and Pauillac de Latour, both of which are made from younger vines.

Meats, Beef and Venison