2008 Château Latour Pauillac 750 ml

“Damn me for saying it, but I actually think the 2008 Latour will turn out to be even better than the 2005 or 2000.” After tasting this perfectly cellared release twelve years on, we think Robert Parker might have been on to something in his comparison to two of the greatest Latour vintages of all time.

Of all the direct-from-château allocations we secured during our last trip to Bordeaux, this cellar-aged 98-point Château Latour, from what Parker called “an exceptionally strong” 2008 vintage, is the cream of the crop. That should come as little surprise to collectors who know Latour as among the greatest and most long-lived of all the Bordeaux First Growths. 

Reviewing it ten years on, Decanter noted “this takes a heartbeat…and then the weight and impact of this wine slowly kicks in.” Especially after a decant, in our experience. With a bit of air and time, a parade of aromas emerges from the glass in perfect lock-step—with cassis, blackberry, star anise, and exotic spice leading the symphonic charge, while espresso, tobacco, sandalwood, and graphite play a hypnotic bass note. Intriguing tones of rosewater, cocoa, and a touch of mint weave their way throughout the aromatic chorus, growing more seductive with every swirl.

Powerful and voluminous on the palate, but never heavy, a bold black fruit core offers wisps of luxurious Italian leather and savory tobacco that make the glass almost impossible to put down. The impressive, grippy tannic frame is classic Latour, and leads into an unbelievably long, tantalizingly complex finish that lingers on a note of perfume and spice. A pure, powerhouse of a wine—it’s nothing short of gorgeous now, though it has all the First Growth stuffing to continue its evolution over the next two to three decades and beyond.

The beauty of the 2008 vintage is that its wines remain somewhat under-valued vis à vis the two subsequent vintages, which average $2,150 and $1,801 per bottle. For collectors, 2008 has proved a sleeper sensation, both in quality and price. Parker has written extensively about the “excellent” 2008 vintage, and how “these are classic and outstanding wines that represent excellent value.”

A historically long hang-time in 2008 led to a steady, long maturation that has provided far more nuance and flavor intensity than anyone expected. A perfectly warm summer and unusually dry late September and October, as well as very small yields, all resulted in a vintage that produced “in some cases, wines as profound as 2005,” according to Parker, citing one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of all time.

Situated on a hill in the southern end of Pauillac, Latour is the only First Growth (and among a tiny handful left in Bordeaux) that remains L’ Enclos—a walled vineyard. All of Latour’s Grand Vin comes from the deep gravel beds within this cloistered terroir, which gives the wine its immense concentration. Its proximity to the vast Gironde estuary allows cooling breezes from the Atlantic Ocean to provide structural balance.

The incredible history of Château Latour is well-documented, and dates back to 1331 when a tower, called Tor à St-Lambert, was built on the site. This tower was used for defense in a battle during the Hundred Years War, after which the estate was referred to as La Tour (the tower). 

A report in 1755—100 years before its 1855 Classification—showed that Latour was already recognised as a producer of some of the best wine in the region, listing it as one of only four properties whose wines fetched more than 900 livres for a tonneau (the others being Haut-Brion, Lafite Rothschild, and Margaux). Thomas Jefferson visited Latour in 1787 on a tip that it was one of the best estates in all of Bordeaux. 

Today, some 227 acres make up the estate, with 116 directly surrounding the château and yielding the grapes that produce the Grand Vin. Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 80 percent of the vines, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot making up the rest.

In 2012, Latour’s director Frédéric Engerer withdrew from Bordeaux's annual En Primeur release, citing that his reason for doing so was to hold the wines until they are ready to drink. This 2008 vintage, at twelve years old, is just entering the stage of approachability, and will continue to develop complex layers and textural refinement over the next 30 years.

This is an incredible opportunity to own one of the most striking Latour wines made in the last century—in perfect condition, coming direct from the château cellars. At $749 per bottle, it just doesn’t get any better.