Latour 2010

Pauillac, First Growth

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy

Tasting Notes
Spiced damson clear from the first moment, stroked satin in texture, loading up on cassis and bilberry fruits. The smoky, spicy side comes out after 15 to 20 minutes in the glass, along with smoked earth and turmeric. Huge amounts of crayon and pencil lead follow, this has less floral nuance than comparable vintages such as Latour 2016, which comes after full conversion to organic and biodynamic farming. What you get instead is utterly classic old school Latour from top to bottom, every inch powerful, muscular, stately. 2010 was a hydric stress year, with very little rain, in comparison to 2009 where the stress came from heat, and it is developing exactly as promised, which means slowly but surely, with the tannic architecture still brooding at 12 years old. At the very beginning of its drinking window, and on this showing just a nudge below the 2009 Latour, which I tasted in the same week. 36% of overall production. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2024-2045 31 August 2022
I get the same peony and violet aromatics here as I did in Forts de Latour. This is powerful, muscular, not even getting close to being ready. The tannins crowd in from the mid palate onwards, extremely physical in the way they make their presence felt. Behind them, if you give the wine enough time in the glass, it gives black pepper spice, pencil lead, slate and compressed earth, along with cassis, bilberry and all the tight compact dark-berried fruits you can think of. Don't even consider this for another five years at least. This is a monumental Latour and a flashing signpost for how good this vintage is in Pauillac. Score: 100 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2025-2050 30 January 2020
The 2010 Latour can be summed up in two words: “The king.” It convincingly asserts its superiority over other 2010s, including First Growths, in terms of its aromatic complexity, precision, balance, intensity, complexity and persistence. Simply a faultless Latour that ranks among its greatest achievements. Score: 100 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2070 01 April 2020
The 2010 Latour is conspicuously deep in colour. It has an intellectual, intense and captivating bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit, graphite and crushed rose petal scents. Utterly spellbinding. The palate is the real deal. Heavenly balance, perfect acidity with seamlessly integrated new oak, there is an enthralling crescendo towards a finish that is simply as good as Bordeaux gets. Impeccable. Score: 100 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2070 01 April 2020
The 2010 Latour is a force of nature, a First Growth that should not be broached for fifteen years. It remains stubborn and backward on the nose, almost broody at first but eventually opens with intense, mineral-rich black fruit laced with wet limestone, almost flint-like aromas, later pencil lead that become more pronounced with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, with immense structure that grips the mouth like a vice. It is not a subtle Latour, rather audacious and titanic, perhaps missing the finesse of a great vintage but that is simply a matter of time. Tasted from my own personal cellar. Score: 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2018-2075 01 July 2018
Dark ruby-red. Brooding nose hints at plum, cassis, brown spices and cedary oak. Sweet, fresh and highly concentrated, with brisk, intense cabernet sauvignon-dominated flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar and cocoa powder. Vibrant acidity gives this wine terrific lift and energy, but it's currently hard as nails. Finishes impressively long, with noble tannins and palate-staining concentration; nutmeg and licorice nuances emerge slowly with aeration. A knockout, but forget about it in your cellar for another 15 years. While I think the 2009 Latour has a magic spicy charm, the 2010 is more in keeping with this great estate's DNA. Score: 96 Stephen Tanzer, Inside Bordeaux 01 July 2013
Inky to ruby rim and slightly viscous. Pronounced and penetrating aromas of pure blueberry fruit, smoke, minerals and violets, complex and still brooding, so much more to give aromatically than in the time we have. Minerals and steel, stony almost. The hallmark of Latour is always in its perfect poise weight that builds in the mouth seamlessly. A long and searing finish. This is huge but utterly harmonious and nigh on perfection Score: 100 Albany Vintners, - 28 April 2013
Unbelievably pure, with distilled cassis and plum fruit that cuts a very precise path, while embers of anise, violet and black cherry confiture form a gorgeous backdrop. A bedrock of graphite structure should help this outlive other 2010s. Powerful, sleek and incredibly long. Not perfect, but very close. Best from 2020 through 2050. Score: 99 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2020-2050 31 March 2013
The aromas of flowers such as roses, violets and lilacs jump from the glass then turn to dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries. It's full-bodied, with velvety tannins and dense and intense with a chocolate, berry and currant character. This is juicy and rich with wood still showing a bit, but it's all coming together wonderfully. Muscular yet toned. Another perfect wine like the 2010. Try in 2022. Score: 100 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2022+ 04 February 2013
One of the perfect wines of the vintage, Frederic Engerer challenged me when I tasted the 2010 Latour at the estate, asking, 'If you rate the 2009 one hundred, then how can this not be higher?' Well, the scoring system stops at 100, (and has for 34 years,) and will continue for as long as I continue to write about wine. Nevertheless, this blend of 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, and .5% Petit Verdot hit 14.4% natural alcohol and represents a tiny 36% of their entire production. The pH is about 3.6, which is normal compared to the 3.8 pH of the 2009, that wine being slightly lower in alcohol, hence the combination that makes it more flamboyant and accessible. The 2010 is a liquid skyscraper in the mouth, building layers upon layers of extravagant, if not over-the-top richness with its hints of subtle charcoal, truffle, blackberry, cassis, espresso and notes of toast and graphite. Full-bodied, with wonderfully sweet tannin, it is a mind-boggling, prodigious achievement that should hit its prime in about 15 years, and last for 50 to 100. Score: 100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2028-2078 01 February 2013
(blend of 90.5% cabernet sauvignon, 8.5% merlot, and 0.5% each cabernet franc and petit verdot; 83 IPT; 36% selection for the grand vin) Deep, opaque, glass-staining ruby-purple. Intensely pure, classic Bordeaux cabernet sauvignon aromas of fresh blackcurrant, minerals, cedar and truffle, with sweeter blueberry and intense floral notes emerging with air. The palate offers great depth of flavor, but the wine is currently hard as nails and lacking in generosity. Still, there's great depth of pristine dark fruit lurking beneath the heavy cloak of smooth, high-quality tannins. Amazingly balanced and extremely long, but this Latour will need a good two decades to approach optimal maturity, and may be better suited for your grandchildren. A winemaking tour de force, this may very well be the wine of the vintage. Score: 96 - 99 Ian D'Agata, Inside Bordeaux 01 May 2011
90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, and a drop each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 36% of total production. Extremely dark purple. Again, more ‘glamour’ than I expected. Especially on the nose. Very ambitious and gorgeous. Thick and dense and hugely long term and dry on the end. Spices - something quite Asian about this - a hint of Szechuan pepper. Explosive. Super dry and introvert but with great velvety texture. So introvert and super dry, super Latour. Monumental. The massive fruit lurks underneath the very ripe tannins at the moment. IPT 83, less than Les Forts, but it tastes much firmer. 14.4% Score: 19 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2055 20 April 2011

Tasting Notes

Spiced damson clear from the first moment, stroked satin in texture, loading up on cassis and bilberry fruits. The smoky, spicy side comes out after 15 to 20 minutes in the glass, along with smoked earth and turmeric. Huge amounts of crayon and pencil lead follow, this has less floral nuance than comparable vintages such as Latour 2016, which comes after full conversion to organic and biodynamic farming. What you get instead is utterly classic old school Latour from top to bottom, every inch powerful, muscular, stately. 2010 was a hydric stress year, with very little rain, in comparison to 2009 where the stress came from heat, and it is developing exactly as promised, which means slowly but surely, with the tannic architecture still brooding at 12 years old. At the very beginning of its drinking window, and on this showing just a nudge below the 2009 Latour, which I tasted in the same week. 36% of overall production.

Score: 98

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2024-2045 31 August 2022

I get the same peony and violet aromatics here as I did in Forts de Latour. This is powerful, muscular, not even getting close to being ready. The tannins crowd in from the mid palate onwards, extremely physical in the way they make their presence felt. Behind them, if you give the wine enough time in the glass, it gives black pepper spice, pencil lead, slate and compressed earth, along with cassis, bilberry and all the tight compact dark-berried fruits you can think of. Don't even consider this for another five years at least. This is a monumental Latour and a flashing signpost for how good this vintage is in Pauillac.

Score: 100

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2025-2050 30 January 2020

The 2010 Latour can be summed up in two words: “The king.” It convincingly asserts its superiority over other 2010s, including First Growths, in terms of its aromatic complexity, precision, balance, intensity, complexity and persistence. Simply a faultless Latour that ranks among its greatest achievements.

Score: 100

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2070 01 April 2020

The 2010 Latour is conspicuously deep in colour. It has an intellectual, intense and captivating bouquet with mineral-rich black fruit, graphite and crushed rose petal scents. Utterly spellbinding. The palate is the real deal. Heavenly balance, perfect acidity with seamlessly integrated new oak, there is an enthralling crescendo towards a finish that is simply as good as Bordeaux gets. Impeccable.

Score: 100

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2070 01 April 2020

The 2010 Latour is a force of nature, a First Growth that should not be broached for fifteen years. It remains stubborn and backward on the nose, almost broody at first but eventually opens with intense, mineral-rich black fruit laced with wet limestone, almost flint-like aromas, later pencil lead that become more pronounced with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, with immense structure that grips the mouth like a vice. It is not a subtle Latour, rather audacious and titanic, perhaps missing the finesse of a great vintage but that is simply a matter of time. Tasted from my own personal cellar.

Score: 98

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2018-2075 01 July 2018

Dark ruby-red. Brooding nose hints at plum, cassis, brown spices and cedary oak. Sweet, fresh and highly concentrated, with brisk, intense cabernet sauvignon-dominated flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar and cocoa powder. Vibrant acidity gives this wine terrific lift and energy, but it's currently hard as nails. Finishes impressively long, with noble tannins and palate-staining concentration; nutmeg and licorice nuances emerge slowly with aeration. A knockout, but forget about it in your cellar for another 15 years. While I think the 2009 Latour has a magic spicy charm, the 2010 is more in keeping with this great estate's DNA.

Score: 96

Stephen Tanzer, Inside Bordeaux 01 July 2013

Inky to ruby rim and slightly viscous. Pronounced and penetrating aromas of pure blueberry fruit, smoke, minerals and violets, complex and still brooding, so much more to give aromatically than in the time we have. Minerals and steel, stony almost. The hallmark of Latour is always in its perfect poise weight that builds in the mouth seamlessly. A long and searing finish. This is huge but utterly harmonious and nigh on perfection

Score: 100

Albany Vintners, - 28 April 2013

Unbelievably pure, with distilled cassis and plum fruit that cuts a very precise path, while embers of anise, violet and black cherry confiture form a gorgeous backdrop. A bedrock of graphite structure should help this outlive other 2010s. Powerful, sleek and incredibly long. Not perfect, but very close. Best from 2020 through 2050.

Score: 99

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2020-2050 31 March 2013

The aromas of flowers such as roses, violets and lilacs jump from the glass then turn to dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries. It's full-bodied, with velvety tannins and dense and intense with a chocolate, berry and currant character. This is juicy and rich with wood still showing a bit, but it's all coming together wonderfully. Muscular yet toned. Another perfect wine like the 2010. Try in 2022.

Score: 100

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2022+ 04 February 2013

One of the perfect wines of the vintage, Frederic Engerer challenged me when I tasted the 2010 Latour at the estate, asking, 'If you rate the 2009 one hundred, then how can this not be higher?' Well, the scoring system stops at 100, (and has for 34 years,) and will continue for as long as I continue to write about wine. Nevertheless, this blend of 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.5% Merlot, and .5% Petit Verdot hit 14.4% natural alcohol and represents a tiny 36% of their entire production. The pH is about 3.6, which is normal compared to the 3.8 pH of the 2009, that wine being slightly lower in alcohol, hence the combination that makes it more flamboyant and accessible. The 2010 is a liquid skyscraper in the mouth, building layers upon layers of extravagant, if not over-the-top richness with its hints of subtle charcoal, truffle, blackberry, cassis, espresso and notes of toast and graphite. Full-bodied, with wonderfully sweet tannin, it is a mind-boggling, prodigious achievement that should hit its prime in about 15 years, and last for 50 to 100.

Score: 100

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2028-2078 01 February 2013

(blend of 90.5% cabernet sauvignon, 8.5% merlot, and 0.5% each cabernet franc and petit verdot; 83 IPT; 36% selection for the grand vin) Deep, opaque, glass-staining ruby-purple. Intensely pure, classic Bordeaux cabernet sauvignon aromas of fresh blackcurrant, minerals, cedar and truffle, with sweeter blueberry and intense floral notes emerging with air. The palate offers great depth of flavor, but the wine is currently hard as nails and lacking in generosity. Still, there's great depth of pristine dark fruit lurking beneath the heavy cloak of smooth, high-quality tannins. Amazingly balanced and extremely long, but this Latour will need a good two decades to approach optimal maturity, and may be better suited for your grandchildren. A winemaking tour de force, this may very well be the wine of the vintage.

Score: 96 - 99

Ian D'Agata, Inside Bordeaux 01 May 2011

90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot, and a drop each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 36% of total production. Extremely dark purple. Again, more ‘glamour’ than I expected. Especially on the nose. Very ambitious and gorgeous. Thick and dense and hugely long term and dry on the end. Spices - something quite Asian about this - a hint of Szechuan pepper. Explosive. Super dry and introvert but with great velvety texture. So introvert and super dry, super Latour. Monumental. The massive fruit lurks underneath the very ripe tannins at the moment. IPT 83, less than Les Forts, but it tastes much firmer. 14.4%

Score: 19

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2025-2055 20 April 2011

Your Lists & Checkout

New Arrivals

Advanced Search

wine regions

quick links

Latour 2010

Pauillac, First Growth

search wines

Full wine List

RSS feeds

wine regions

join our mailing list