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Goedhuis, March 2018
The hardest wine to assess as there was a surprising degree of bottle variation on the night, but the best bottles showed breeding and class. If Lafite is all about subtlety, this a wine with unreserved brooding power. Molasses, liquorice and dark blackberry fruits, this is deeply intense, massively full, with a feeling of rich sweetness. It really is the epitome of the raw power that the very best 2005s have. A wine with a huge life ahead of it, as it is a long way away from its peak.
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Goedhuis, April 2006, Score: 94-100
It is a common misconception that Château Latour was named after its notable cream-coloured tower – a 17th century edifice that served as a dovecote. The original tower that had yielded its name to this exemplary property was built in the 15th century as a watchtower to fend off invading pirates during the Hundred Years War. It has long been eroded away but not without leaving its long lived legend intact.Mindbogglingly powerful, albeit very reticent upon first taste, there was no denying its sheer concentration and ceaseless length. This is very reminiscent of the exceptional 1961 but with more flesh. Drink 2015 - 2045+.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2021, Score: 100
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.
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Robert Parker, February 2019, Score: 98+
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. 98+/100
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Robert Parker, June 2015, Score: 98
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.
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Robert Parker, April 2008, Score: 96
Only 44% of the production made it into the dense ruby/purple-hued 2005 Latour, a powerful, backward, 12,000-case blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Petit Verdot and Merlot. As I wrote last year, this classic effort is built for the ages, and is largely destined to be drunk by our offspring rather than anyone over the age of 50 today. Complex aromas of crushed rocks, graphite, black cherries, creme de cassis, new saddle leather, and dried mushrooms are still tightly wound. The wine is full-bodied and powerful with exceptionally high tannin combined with zesty acidity, and laser-like focus. It will require 15 or more years of cellaring. I still prefer the 2003, but administrator Frederic Engerer says this “is more Latour.” Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. Latour is always the most difficult Medoc first-growth to find, largely because the vineyard and production are much smaller than its' peers and because of the severe selection routinely done byowner Francois Pinault and administrator Frederic Engerer.
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Robert Parker, April 2007, Score: 96-99
A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, the powerful 2005 Latour is even higher in alcohol and tannin than the extraordinary 2003 (which I believe is a more generously styled wine). The 2005 is a quintessential Latour built for the ages. Monumental levels of concentration and tannin are found in this dense ruby/purple-colored effort. Aromas and flavors of liquid stones, graphite, black cherries, and cassis emerge from this massive yet fresh, lively, incredibly well-delineated Latour. This offering will test the patience of its purchasers as it will require 10-15 years of cellaring, and will keep for a minimum of 4-5 decades. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2060. Ask just about anybody which first-growth is pushing quality to the highest level, and the majority will claim it is Latour. With owner Francois Pinault giving perfectionist administrator Frederic Engerer carte blanche, this estate has been producing spectacular wines since 2000. New cellars, winemaking facilities, and barrel rooms only add to their ability to produce classic wines. Production is much smaller than at other Medoc first-growths with only 44% of the 2005 production making it into the grand vin. Drink 2017-2057
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Robert Parker, April 2006, Score: 98-100
The colossal 2005 Latour (44% of the total production) is a wine for the ages. A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, it possesses the highest alcohol of recent vintages. Different both structurally and texturally from the extraordinary 2003 (which I tend to prefer, although Frederic Engerer clearly disagrees), the black/purple-hued 2005 exhibits high tannin, prodigious concentration, unbelievable purity, amazing freshness and vibrancy, and almost surreal definition and nuances for such a young wine. It is a huge, fresh, backward yet incredibly pure effort that represents a modern day classic, but don't expect the opulence and exotic sweetness of the 2003. It will close down after bottling, and require at least a decade of cellaring before consuming. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+.
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Decanter
Concentrated Cabernet nose lifted by floral wild violets, the classic restrained firmness of Latour with intellectual more than sensual complexity to come. Drink 2018-2040. (5 stars).
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Jancis Robinson, April 2006, Score: 19.5
Excellent depth of colour. Very intense and spicy. Intriguing - this is a wine that drags you in to the glass! Full, ample, wonderful grand spread across the palate. Such magnificence - rides over the palate. All lovely fine tannins and subtlety. No obvious alcohol - dense but not tricksy. Yet there is the squareness and rigour of Latour. Just 13.35 per cent alcohol. Deliberate choice not to go for monstrous alcohol. Very intense and extremely fine. Intense and funnily enough it reminds me a bit of Ausone. The focus of it, the density of it. Smoky character - a bit of woodsmoke. Very dry tannins but not drying on the finish. Cool, restrained, less aromatic than the Margaux. But very solid. This wine may still be motoring along after the Margaux. Very mineral. Structured like 2004 but with more flesh. Drink 2018-40.
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Wine Spectator, April 2006, Score: 95-100
Incredible aromas of currants and exotic fruit. Hints of chocolate and cigar box. Very complex already. Full-bodied, concentrated and velvety. Chewy and powerful. Pure fruit. This is superpowerful. It's like a tidal wave of fruit and perfect tannins on your palate. This is a Latour 2000 II. On it's way to 100 points.
