leduswineblog.com

Greetings!

The biggest news to come out of Bordeaux in the past few months was the announcement last week by Frederic Engerer, president of Chateau Latour, that starting next year, they would no longer sell their new vintages as futures. Instead, they will only release wines they deem ready to drink.

“We’re concerned by the fact that our wines are drunk too young,” said Engerer, “It’s a paradox to sell a wine that isn’t in bottle yet and then it isn’t consumed until 10 or 15 years later.”

Those who know Mr Engerer can attest to his dogged attention to quality and reach for perfection. In retrospect, this was a logical step for the ever-great Chateau Latour.

In truth, he has been quietly testing the waters for the past few years with the Pauillac de Latour, the excellent 2^nd wine of Les Forts de Latour, which is only released when the Latour team deems it ready to drink. For many years now, Le Du’s Wines has had the privilege of offering the latest release of this superb textbook Left Bank Bordeaux.

I can confidently say every release has been a superbly crafted classic representation of the vintage and the newest offering is no exception. I’m happy to present to you the new release:

Pauillac de Latour 2006.

Coming just after the Classic ‘05 vintage, 2006 never fully got the kudos it deserved, especially in the Medoc where the Cabernet Sauvignon provided great concentration and structure. This is a classically framed Pauillac with tight dark berry aromas, notes of cedar and earth and a rich, tannic finish. It drinks great now but will evolve nicely for the next 7-10 years.

Pauillac de Chateau Latour 2006-89.99