2003 Chateau Latour Pauillac 750 ml

“Staggering” “Opulent” “Reminiscent of the 1982”

Bordeaux collector alert! For a wine whose name alone invokes as much reverence as Château Latour, what words could single out an individual vintage as truly special? Consider those of Robert M. Parker Jr., who first tasted this 2003 Château Latour out of barrel as early as 2004, calling it “One of the three greatest young Bordeaux I have ever tasted.” One year later, in 2005, it was “somewhat reminiscent of the 1982.” Tasted a third time in 2006, he bestowed 100-point perfection. Just three years after release it was “Massive and multi-layered, with huge richness and low acidity, it is about as unctuous as a young Latour can be.” Tasted again in 2014, Parker affirmed the perfection of this “prodigious effort” noting it was “already performing well at age eleven.” Now at fifteen years of age, the 2003 Latour has truly hit its stride: “this staggering Latour is undeniably the most sumptuous, opulent wine made here since the 1982,” Parker concluded. 

In 2012, Latour’s director Frédéric Engerer withdrew from La Place de Bordeaux, the region’s traditional en primeur release, citing his desire to hold each vintage of Latour’s Grand Vin back until it is ready to drink. This was an unorthodox idea because, in Bordeaux, vintage prices are determined by critics who taste the extremely youthful wines straight from the barrel. It was also a very expensive one, requiring Latour to build a system of caves in order to store thousands of cases of wine that, under the old system, would have left the estate shortly after bottling.

The 2003 Latour was harvested a decade before that bold decision, but stands as the embodiment of Engerer’s vision: A stunning example of Latour’s savoir-faire that has been rested in the Latour cellars and now requires no patience from the drinker. The fact that Robert Parker’s 100-point score came a decade after harvest shows that this wine not only has a bright future, is positively shining right now.

The Médoc First Growth Château Latour estate dates back to the 14th century, with the earliest evidence of vineyards appearing in the 17th century. Its formidable reputation has stood for centuries as well: Thomas Jefferson visited in 1787 on a tip that it was one of the best estates in all of Bordeaux. Today, the estate consists of some 227 acres of immaculate, perfectly manicured rows of vines covering gently rolling slopes that culminate on the Left Bank of the immense Gironde estuary. Cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean usher in an even-keeled and cleansing climate, which enabled the estate to produce a perfect wine in a 2003 vintage that caused heat struggles at many châteaux.

The tradition-steeped Latour is unafraid to embrace change, and the winery itself is a mix of history and modernity: Classic architecture houses modern art and thoroughly cutting-edge winemaking equipment, yet Latour continues to plow using horses and rack their wines by candlelight. Even among Bordeaux’s most celebrated estates, Château Latour stands out as a rarity—as does the opportunity to enjoy one of 12 estate-direct bottles that offer pure Médoc perfection.