Chateau Latour- Angry Wine Merchant 2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant 2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant 2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant 2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant
Chateau Latour- Angry Wine Merchant
2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant
2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant
2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant
2012 Chateau Latour - Angry Wine Merchant

1990 Chateau Latour

Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot

France / Bordeaux / Medoc / AOC Pauillac

$7,800
JD 98
RP 95
V 97
Size:
Quantity:

1er Grand Cru Classé

1990 Chateau Latour, Pauillac, France

Weather Conditions

A particularly warm winter resulted in a very early budbreak, on 1 March for the Merlot. A variable spring slightly delayed this advance, but mid flowering was recorded on 25 May, 15 days ahead of normal. Early July, the vineyard's crop was rigorously checked with the traditional "green harvests". The whole summer was very dry, which severely affected the vines. Due to the underground layers of clay in the "Enclos", the grapes were able to ripen in perfect conditions. The harvests were very spread out, from 10 September to 2 October, in order to get the best out of all the plots. Some rain on 22 and 23 September enabled the Cabernet Sauvignon to finish ripening.

Wine Style

During vinification, the vintage had the richness of the 1989 but with more personality and complexity. The wines presented all the characteristics of exceptional years: rich, complex bouquet, with aromas of candied cherries, chocolate, cedar and tobacco. A surprising richness on the palate, with extraordinary volume, class and density. For the first time in a great year, a generic Pauillac was produced, thereby enabling the quality of Les Forts de Latour to be improved by selection.

JD 98

Jeb Dunnuck

A classic, powerful, regal Latour, the 1990 is solidly in its drink window and has a still-ruby hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of darker currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and graphite. It opens up beautifully with air and has the perfect mix of great fruit and purity with mature and complex, cedary nuances. Full-bodied on the palate, perfectly balanced, and with sweet yet still present tannins, it can safely be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years. Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue date: March 2022. Drinking window: 2022 - 2072.
RP 95

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

(Rating 95+). This is one of the more perplexing Latours to evaluate. It has plenty of sweetness as well as a gorgeous, rich fruitiness, but it lacks the firmness one finds in more recent great vintages such as 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008. There is plenty of sweet, ripe currant fruitiness, abundant glycerin, and full body, but I’m still waiting for that extra nuance of complexity to emerge. It’s all there, but the wine still seems to be more monolithic than one would expect in a wine approaching 19 years of age. It is not the sure-fire winner I thought it was in its youth, but then again, I don’t have any reason to doubt that more complexity will emerge. Reviewed by Robert M. Parker, Jr.. Issue date: June, 2009. Drinking window: 2016 - 2035.
V 97

Vinous

The 1990 Latour, served from double magnum direct from the château, is a magnificent wine. It is a showstopping bouquet that explodes from the glass. Oodles of blackberry mixes with cedar and glycerin. This is Latour at its most aromatically decadent. Perhaps due to provenance and format, the aromatics are also the most youthful. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful poise. The graphite element is more pronounced in this larger format, fanning out gloriously toward the finish to complete one of the finest examples I have encountered of this wine. Tasted at the Académie du Vin dinner in Bordeaux. Reviewed by Neal Martin. Issue date: December 2019. Drinking window: 2024 - 2050.

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PACKAGING: Our premium wines need optimal temperature consistency, therefore are packaged in EPS foam shippers with gel pack (when needed) and shipped only during ideal weather temperatures.

For OWC (Original Wooden Case) orders, wine bottles will be removed from case and shipped inside a foam shipper box for safety (unless otherwise requested). The wooden case will be shipped separately at Ground service. If faster service is necessary please contact us.

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  • CRITICAL REVIEWS
  • WINEMAKER NOTES
JD 98

Jeb Dunnuck

A classic, powerful, regal Latour, the 1990 is solidly in its drink window and has a still-ruby hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of darker currants, tobacco leaf, new saddle leather, and graphite. It opens up beautifully with air and has the perfect mix of great fruit and purity with mature and complex, cedary nuances. Full-bodied on the palate, perfectly balanced, and with sweet yet still present tannins, it can safely be enjoyed any time over the coming 40-50 years. Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue date: March 2022. Drinking window: 2022 - 2072.
RP 95

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

(Rating 95+). This is one of the more perplexing Latours to evaluate. It has plenty of sweetness as well as a gorgeous, rich fruitiness, but it lacks the firmness one finds in more recent great vintages such as 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008. There is plenty of sweet, ripe currant fruitiness, abundant glycerin, and full body, but I’m still waiting for that extra nuance of complexity to emerge. It’s all there, but the wine still seems to be more monolithic than one would expect in a wine approaching 19 years of age. It is not the sure-fire winner I thought it was in its youth, but then again, I don’t have any reason to doubt that more complexity will emerge. Reviewed by Robert M. Parker, Jr.. Issue date: June, 2009. Drinking window: 2016 - 2035.
V 97

Vinous

The 1990 Latour, served from double magnum direct from the château, is a magnificent wine. It is a showstopping bouquet that explodes from the glass. Oodles of blackberry mixes with cedar and glycerin. This is Latour at its most aromatically decadent. Perhaps due to provenance and format, the aromatics are also the most youthful. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful poise. The graphite element is more pronounced in this larger format, fanning out gloriously toward the finish to complete one of the finest examples I have encountered of this wine. Tasted at the Académie du Vin dinner in Bordeaux. Reviewed by Neal Martin. Issue date: December 2019. Drinking window: 2024 - 2050.

1990 Chateau Latour, Pauillac, France

Weather Conditions

A particularly warm winter resulted in a very early budbreak, on 1 March for the Merlot. A variable spring slightly delayed this advance, but mid flowering was recorded on 25 May, 15 days ahead of normal. Early July, the vineyard's crop was rigorously checked with the traditional "green harvests". The whole summer was very dry, which severely affected the vines. Due to the underground layers of clay in the "Enclos", the grapes were able to ripen in perfect conditions. The harvests were very spread out, from 10 September to 2 October, in order to get the best out of all the plots. Some rain on 22 and 23 September enabled the Cabernet Sauvignon to finish ripening.

Wine Style

During vinification, the vintage had the richness of the 1989 but with more personality and complexity. The wines presented all the characteristics of exceptional years: rich, complex bouquet, with aromas of candied cherries, chocolate, cedar and tobacco. A surprising richness on the palate, with extraordinary volume, class and density. For the first time in a great year, a generic Pauillac was produced, thereby enabling the quality of Les Forts de Latour to be improved by selection.

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