Chateau Latour 2013

Product info about Chateau Latour 2013

Château Latour 2013 is the Grand Vin of Château Latour, a dry red Bordeaux from Pauillac, drawn from the historic l'Enclos vineyard around the château near the Gironde estuary. This is the estate's principal wine, not Les Forts de Latour or Pauillac de Château Latour, and it carries the pedigree of a Premier Grand Cru Classé from the 1855 classification.

The blend in 2013 is emphatically Cabernet Sauvignon led: 95.3%, with 4.3% Merlot and 0.4% Petit Verdot. That dominance reflects its origin in the older vines of l'Enclos, including parcels such as Gravettes, Sarmentier and Pièce de Château. The Grand Vin accounted for 31.3% of production in this vintage, underlining the level of selection behind the final wine.

Bordeaux 2013 was a demanding year. A very wet winter, a cool and rainy spring, uneven ripening and disease pressure meant that strict vineyard work and careful sorting were essential. In that context, Château Latour 2013 is fascinating: not a massive Latour in the mould of the great powerful years, but a more precise, Cabernet-driven Pauillac with a clear sense of place.

At Drankenshop Broekmans, we see this bottle as a study in estate selection and vintage character. It has the classical framework of Château Latour, matured in new French oak, yet the year gives it a more approachable profile than the most concentrated Latour vintages. With only the last bottles remaining, it is especially relevant for those looking specifically for the 2013 Grand Vin or for a less monumental, still unmistakably Pauillac expression of Latour.

The available tasting notes describe Château Latour 2013 as a lighter, less forceful Latour, yet one with a clear Cabernet Sauvignon identity. Cassis, blackcurrant, redcurrant, dark cherry and plum sit at the centre, followed by graphite, pencil shavings, tobacco, cedar and cigar box.

There are also floral hints of rose and peony, together with liquorice, black tea, smoke and at times a stony or iron-like nuance. Structurally it is described as medium-bodied to full, precise and relatively elegant, with fresh acidity, polished tannins and a long finish marked by spice and graphite.

Serving around 15 to 16 °C in a Bordeaux glass matches the practical guidance given for this wine. As 2013 is a more approachable vintage than the most powerful Latour years, a measured approach works best: open, taste, and decant briefly only if the wine asks for it.