Château Latour 2014 is the estate’s Grand Vin from Pauillac, drawn from the L’Enclos vineyard and built around Cabernet Sauvignon. The blend is 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Merlot, 0.6% Cabernet Franc, and 0.3% Petit Verdot, coming in at about 12.8–12.89% alcohol, depending on the source. Latour held the wine back and released it later than the old en primeur rhythm, consistent with its policy of releasing when it judges the wine ready.
Across critics, 2014 Latour is described as classic in shape but not austere, with a strong Pauillac signature: cassis, graphite, tobacco, cedar, and truffle. Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider) gives an excellent 97 and highlights “truffle, cedar, tobacco leaf, lead pencil” aromatics and a “currant-packed finish,” adding that it’s “one of the few Latour’s offering character without requiring decades of age,” though he still prefers it from 2028–2060.
Several other top-tier reviews reinforce that standing. William Kelley (Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate) rates it 97+ and calls it “one of the very finest wines” of the vintage, praising its “powdery, chalky tannins and bright acids” and “prodigious longevity,” even likening it to “a modern-day version of a cooler vintage such as 1996.” Wine Spectator also awards an excellent 97, emphasizing “terrific cut and drive,” “mouthwatering acidity,” and a finish where the “graphite edge reemerges and sails on and on.”
The common thread is structure: Jeb Dunnuck (96+) says it remains “closed and backward,” with “no shortage of tannins,” while Wine Enthusiast (97) notes the tannins are “still enormous.” Decanter (96) describes a more “direct and linear” style with “beautiful fragrance,” and Neal Martin (Vinous, 95) finds it now shedding some early “strictness,” poised to “age gracefully.” Harvest ran roughly September 18 to October 15 (Jane Anson, 96).
