1998 Maison Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
This famed negociant firm's flagship wine, the Corton-Charlemagne, was extremely difficult to assess in the 1998 vintage. Austere mineral aromas lead to a bright, lemon butter-flavored core. It is superbly focused, and possesses stunning length, two attributes that are the hallmarks of greatness, yet when tasted, it was tightly wound. If this wine gathers richness and depth as it concludes its elevage, it may ultimately merit an outstanding score. Projected maturity: 2002-2008+ Louis Latour is represented by a different importer for each state.
Critic scores
Pierre Rovani
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
This famed negociant firm's flagship wine, the Corton-Charlemagne, was extremely difficult to assess in the 1998 vintage. Austere mineral aromas lead to a bright, lemon butter-flavored core. It is superbly focused, and possesses stunning length, two attributes that are the hallmarks of greatness, yet when tasted, it was tightly wound. If this wine gathers richness and depth as it concludes its elevage, it may ultimately merit an outstanding score. Projected maturity: 2002-2008+ Apr 2000, www.robertparker.com
Soil-inflected aromas of wet stone and chicken broth; shows a Chablis-like minerality. Ripe, fat and spicy, with strong acidity framing the apple, pear, cinnamon and mineral flavors. Quite dry but offers impressive chewiness and palate presence. This rather backward wine may ultimately merit a 90-plus rating. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to taste this producer's other grand cru bottlings.
About the producer
The Latour family has been growing vines in Burgundy since at least 1731. Their négociant business – today one of the region’s biggest names – was founded in 1797. Still family-owned today, the company owns 48 hectares of vines, 27 of which are Grand Cru, as well as its own cooperage.