Chateau Latour, Pauillac, 1993

Chateau Latour, Pauillac, Cabernet Sauvignon blend, 1993, 12.5% abv.

A poor vintage. Somebody also posted a 93 Latour, but there seemed tk be some controversy with it. Look at that glass!

Nose: extremely bright after 30+ years, floral, casis, grapes, promegranates, slight red and black fruits, perfumed dried cherries, hint of tobacco, stale ground black peppercorn, good amount of perfumed earth, major fragrantly perfumed pencil shavings, red wood furniture, sweet old cedar, a small arboretum. This is excellent.

Palate: medium body, complex, balanced, initial palate is a light grape juice but then it quickly transitions to showcasing vintage tertiary flavors, beautifully dressed forest and earth with some boiled red fruit punch. Moderate and decent acidity. The back palate has some sour red grapes, sweet licorice, mushrooms that keep getting stronger with subsequent sips. Nice, but I keep thinking about the aromas.

Finish: medium sometimes short even, there are tannins but lacks the typical oakiness/astringency from such tannins, retro olfaction repeats damp mushrooms primarily shiitake and pine… the relatively pungent ones.

The aromatics on this pour are amazingly good, showing age and complexity within the naval cavities. The subsequent palate is not as good as the nose, still showing good tertiary elements with flashes of fruit and acidity. Reviews of 90 from Robert Parker in 1997, 90 from James Suckling in 2012, 89 from Wine Spectator in 2000.

Grade: B+