Quality 950 | Brand 998 | Economics 931 | buzz brand, investment staple
Quality: Predicted life of 16 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2004 vintage, which averages 9 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 52 of the world's top wine lists, including Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen Economics: #2 most active wine at auction, its top 5 vintages having seen 4,896 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production: Lower production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

A great moment to be drinking this Latour, at 20 years old, more ready than the 2005 right now. Black truffle, ink, cassis fruit, crushed rocks, firm tannins, still muscular, with the precision and heft that was typical of the estate in these years. Took its time to come round, now showing finesse and class, with decades ahead of it. Harvest September 23 to October 19.

A still youthful dark red; a fine cassis-ripe core on the nose, a lovely bouquet in prospect;
rich, elegant middleweight, fresh and finely tannic; crisply ripe in flavour, with a lovely purity of juicy fruit, a long, even, gently complex and aromatic palate, with excellent gravel infused persistence. Lovely Latour which, with time in the decanter, could be most attractive already. But ideally 2018 – 35 [M Schuster March 2014]

The 2004 Latour is perhaps evolving slower than I expected, although it remains one of the finest Left Bank wines of the vintage. It has that quintessential graphite-scented bouquet intermixed with blackberry and cedar, although the liquorice note that I observed previously has receded. Again, there is wonderful definition. The palate is full-bodied but surprisingly more sultry than I expected, especially here where I was able to directly compare it with the other 2004 First Growths. It delivers the "authority" you expect from Latour, although I might be inclined just to give it another 2-3 years in bottle. Tasted September 2016.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #171, Jun 2007)

Captivating aromas of currant, black licorice and spices, with just a hint of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Structured and racy. March 2007

A terrific effort from Administrator Frederic Engerer and owner Francois Pinault, the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Latour exhibits a strong cassis character intermixed with notes of crushed rocks, earth, cedar, and forest floor. Racy, elegant, but powerful with medium to full body, and sweet tannin, it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring, and should keep for three decades. It is a very impressive offering.

Wine Advocate #229, Feb 2017

Ruby-red. Highly complex aromas of dark berries, graphite, licorice, minerals and cola. Lush, dense and sweet, with a wonderfully creamy, opulent mouth feel for the vintage but no impression of excess weight. This boasts superb fruit and palate coverage. Finishes with very suave, spreading tannins and outstanding persistence. An aristocratic expression of ripe cabernet sauvignon. Engerer notes that the tannins remind him of the '96 Latour.

The dark garnet colour of the 2004 Latour contrasted with the bright, plummy fruit aroma. It was perhaps less forward than the Mouton, yet it was exquisite with hints of bergamot, gunflint, and earth. The texture was tannic but not overly so, and the dense extract lead the wine to a lovely, lingering finish. This wine last year changed my opinion of the 2004 vintage, and it remains at least as attractive today.

This wine proved me wrong about the 2004 vintage – it is utterly delicious, with an incredibly forward and silky, bright red fruit aroma on the initial attack. Picking began on 23rd September and continued into the second week of October, giving an elegant, fresh wine. It lacks perhaps a bit of the depth of other recent vintages but makes up for it with the silky, gracious texture that is compellingly lovely. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2042
Tasted by: Charles Curtis MW (at Atlanta, 01 Mar 2022)
Part of Château Latour: 1990-2010 vertical tasting

Bright ruby-red. Classic aromas of currant, plum, graphite and minerals. Suave and smooth in the mouth, with a compelling sweetness and lushness for the vintage. At once easygoing and wonderfully complex, conveying a powerful soil character. The finish is ripely tannic, sweet and very long. This is wonderfully expressive today but the young 2006 may have even longer aging potential. Along with Chateau Margaux, my candidate for wine of the vintage

Surprisingly woodsy, with truffle, cassis, earth, tobacco, cedar chest and blackberry in the developed nose. There is a nice softness to the tannins and fruit. Not yet fully mature, but quite developed for a vintage of Latour at 10 years of age, the wine offers pleasure, refined textures, balance and sweet berries in the finish. Drink now, or wait 5 years for more complexity. Tasted Jan 2015

The 2004 Latour checks in as a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and a splash of Cabernet Franc, all aged in new French oak. It shows the more elegant, silky style of the vintage, yet with plenty of Latour grandeur and depth in its ripe cassis, smoky mineral, graphite, and saddle leather aromas and flavors. It’s medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated, and has serious length, as well as another two decades of longevity, although it’s certainly drinking beautifully today.

This is surprisingly approachable, especially from a big bottle. It’s soft and fruity with balsamic and sweet tobacco character. Full and round mouthfeel. It will obviously improve with age, but why wait? Served from imperial bottle.