2003 Latour
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2003 Latour is a wine that I have tasted many times, even buying some en primeur. Now it is reaching 20 years, and like other 2003s, I am beginning to think that even the best wines in the early days are starting to fall short of expectations. That is not to say it is a bad wine by any means. With layers of black fruit on the nose and hints of cedar, white pepper and aniseed, it is pretty burly aromatically and opens nicely with 20-30 minutes in the glass. The palate is structured and assertive, with grippy tannins and plenty of tobacco-infused black fruit. However, compared to other vintages, there is something just a bit "static" about this First Growth, an immovable object. Moreover, the longer I remain in its presence, it seems a little removed from a typical Latour as if the imprimatur of the growing season is beginning to influence the wine more than the terroir. I've scored this wine high in the past, but it's a complex wine to really love at the moment. Tasted at Medlar restaurant.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Magnum. Magisterial! Immediately profound on the nose, delivering rock-solid classic bordeaux. So lengthy, so refined. A rich tapestry of flavours from the darkest fruits to the most lifted fragrance. And so lengthy! Truly worth the accolades, and who knew 2003 would turn out so well? (RH)
Mid ruby with a pale rim. Light, fruity nose with some sweetness on palate entry but no rasping tannins. Some Pauillac stoniness on the nose – just rather weak for a Latour without enormous palate weight, though it does linger pretty satisfactorily in terms of time if not concentration. (JR)
About the producer
One of Bordeaux’s five First Growths, as classified in 1855, Ch. Latour is among the most famous addresses in Pauillac and the world. The estate is renowned for its long-ageing, powerful and structured wines.