The 2003 Chateau Latour Bordeaux Blend is an exceptional wine that showcases the best of what the Pauillac region in Bordeaux, France, has to offer. The wine is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, with an additional 6% of the press wine added to the final mix, according to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. This vintage is noted for being one of the hottest and earliest on record, which challenged some vineyards but allowed Chateau Latour to produce a wine of remarkable quality.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the wine a perfect score of 100, praising its "medium to deep garnet-purple color" and "bombastic black and blue fruits" that are complemented by "meat, wood smoke, sandalwood, and Indian spice accents." The Wine Independent also awarded a perfect score, highlighting its "crème de cassis, stewed plums, licorice, and mocha scents" followed by "charcoal, rose oil, and crushed rocks."
James Suckling, who rated the wine 99 points, described it as possessing a "fascinating nose of fresh flowers, currants, and sandalwood," and noted its "seamless core of fruit" and "polished tannins." Jeff Leve, also giving a score of 99, emphasized its "truffle, smoke, cigar box, cassis, cedar wood, and wet earth" aromas and praised its "fleshy, rich, plush, round and mouth-filling" character.
Wine Spectator awarded the vintage a score of 98, calling it "very refined and beautiful," while Wine Enthusiast, with a similar score, lauded its "sense of completeness, of restrained power and of levels of complexity."
Overall, the 2003 Chateau Latour is a powerful yet elegant wine with a remarkable length and complexity that stands out even in a challenging vintage. The excellent reviews across the board highlight its status as a benchmark wine from a revered producer.