Dark, youthful red; dense and backward on the nose, with very gravelly aromas suffusing the ripe blackcurrant cabernet; rich and full yet restrained too, with a remarkable flesh and fullness given its modest alcohol, fresh in acidity, very fine grained in tannin; long and elegant and understated; mouthfilling in gravel aromas, ample, generous, so fresh yet so sweet, very long across the palate, very long to finish. A most complete Latour, a remarkable combination of quiet power, density and refinement. 2025-50+

The 2005 Château Latour is about as classic Latour as it gets and has the vintages (and Chateau’s) dense, powerful, massively concentrated style. Darker currants, scorched earth, leather, bloody meats, and green tobacco all define this incredible Pauillac and it’s full-bodied, has a massive mid-palate, both ample tannins and acidity, and a great finish. Based on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, it clearly offers pleasure today but I’d nevertheless give bottles another 4-6 years if possible. It’s will probably see it’s 100th birthday in fine form. It’s unquestionably in the same league as the 1982, 1990, and 2009.

Quality 986 | Brand 998 | Economics 941 | buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 19 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group, 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

2005 was a very dry, warm and sunny vintage, causing vine stress in some areas of Bordeaux. Harvested from September 26 to October 6, the tannin/IPT levels were very high this year. The 2005 Latour is blended of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is the biggest surprise of this tasting—until now, the wine was relatively closed and broody, but today the wine is just starting to reveal its personality—and what a stunner! Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with provocative floral scents of roses and violets over a core of fresh blackcurrants, chocolate-covered cherries and black raspberries with hints of fertile loam, unsmoked cigars and black tea. Medium to full-bodied, firm, grainy and packed with muscular fruit, it has an epically long, savory finish sparked by floral notes. 12,000 cases were made.

The 2005 Latour (87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot) is a spectacular effort from Château Latour. It has an inky plum/purple color and a gorgeous nose of graphite, crème de cassis, and floral notes with some forest floor in the background. It is full-bodied, super-concentrated, and for my taste, probably one of the two or three most intense, rich, and complex wines of the entire Médoc. The wine has great texture, purity and a finish of close to 40 or 45 seconds. The tannins are surprisingly sweet, even in this large-scaled, masculine wine. Drink it over the next 50+ years.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #219, Jun 2015)

The 2005 Latour has long been a formidable wine. I was granted the opportunity to re-taste the 2005 at the property after their estate released library reserves in February 2017. Now at twelve years of age, it has retained that riveting bouquet of black cherries and black plum, crème de cassis and graphite, although I find less of the latter compared to previous bottles (including the one tasted blind just three weeks earlier). The palate is very well balanced with blackberry, black plum, sea salt, a hint of balsamic, quite spicy in the mouth with a hint of cloves. There is immense weight and presence in the mouth, although I wonder whether the tannins are as fine as say the 2010 or even the nascent 2016 Latour tasted alongside? Either way, it remains a fabulous First Growth destined to last many, many years. Tasted March 2017. - robertparker.com, May 2017

Deep ruby-red. Cassis, blackberry, violet, minerals and licorice on the nose. Dense and sappy in the mouth, with a wonderfully tactile quality and great finesse but youthfully unforthcoming today. The greatness of the wine can be seen on the almost painfully intense, slow-building, resounding finish, which features major tannic clout, extraordinary texture and breadth of flavor and great verve. You can't scrape this juice off your palate; I had the impression that the flavors were stronger after I had swirled and spit the wine. Engerer believes that the 2005 Latour is a more complete wine than either the 2000 or the 2003 made here. The 2000, he told me, could have used a bit more length, volume and brilliance of fruit, while the 2003 lacks classic aromas. The 2005, he added, has it all. This may well be a wine that lasts a half-century.

Looks more evolved than the Pontet-Canet! Shaded dark ruby. Light but complex nose with many ingredients and a strong mineral element. Dry and even slightly dusty on the end. Not nearly as chewy as one might expect of the combination of Latour and 2005. Though there is a strong tannic trace on the end. (JR)

The 2005 Latour was mind-blowingly profound in two recent tastings for this report. Deep and sensual to the core, the 2005 is utterly captivating. All the elements are so seamlessly put together. Graphite, crème de cassis, licorice, dark spice and lavender infuse the 2005 with so much energy. More than anything else, though, the 2005 is a Latour of texture and resonance. Even after several hours, the 2005 is fresh and full of energy. Wines like this are just life affirming. That's about all I can really say. Tasted two times.