Le Pauillac de Latour 2017 750ml

Wine Advocate #Week 3, Mar 17, 2020 by Lisa Perotti-Brown
A blend of 52.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39.9% Merlot and 7.2% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Le Pauillac de Château Latour is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and comes bounding out of the glass with youthful, energetic notions of ripe black plums, freshly crushed blackcurrants and chocolate-covered cherries with touches of pencil lead, cloves, camphor and smoked meats. Medium-bodied, the palate practically quivers with tension, featuring vibrant red and black fruits and soft, grainy tannins, finishing with fantastic freshness.

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, Lamb