Château Latour - Pauillac 1994

Un hiver doux et pluvieux, suivi d'un mois de mars très chaud et sec entraînant un débourrement précoce noté le 15 mars sur les Melots. Des chaleurs estivales fin avril et un mois de mai humide mais doux amènent une floraison précoce : la pleine-fleur est notée le 2 juin (10 jours davance sur une année normale).
Juin et juillet sont très chauds avec quelques orages (conditions idéales). La mi-véraison est notée le 6 août comme le 1990 ou le 1982. Fin août, les conditions sont idéales pour produire un très grand millésime. Mais à partir du 7 septembre, une période pluvieuse et froide s'installe, freinant ainsi la maturation.
Les vendanges se déroulent du 19 au 29 septembre avec un certain nombre d'averses orageuses sur cette période. Cependant l'état sanitaire des raisins reste parfait et la dilution est quasi-inexistante.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

par James Suckling le 31/08/2000

Classic Cabernet style. Intense aromas of plums and cherries, with hints of new wood. Full-bodied, with juicy and ripe tannins and a long finish. Very well-structured.--Latour vertical. Best after 2003.

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 01/09/1998

This is an interesting as well as great vintage for Latour. As indicated in my barrel tasting report, Latour's 1994 possesses an atypically high percentage of Merlot (27%) in the final blend. Because of this, the wine appears to have a sweeter, more fleshy texture than is typical for a young Latour, but do not make the mistake of thinking this will be a commercially-styled, easy to drink wine. It exhibits an opaque dark ruby/purple color, and a backward, intense textbook nose of walnut and cassis scents complemented by smoky pain grille notes that build in the glass. This full-bodied, powerful, layered Latour reveals high tannin, but no bitterness or astringency. The superb purity, fabulous precision, and remarkable length should ensure 35-40 years of longevity. Readers will find more fat, flesh, and glycerin than usual for a young Latour (save for such great vintages as 1982 and 1990), but don't be deceived, this wine requires 8-10 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035. Last tasted 1/97

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 01/04/1996

Under the inspiring leadership of its new owner, Francois Pinault, Latour appears to be returning to the old style, classic, blockbuster, massive wines that were meant to last 40-50 years. As I indicated last year, the 1994 Latour is the top first growth, as well as a leading candidate for the wine of the vintage. It includes an atypically high percentage of Merlot in the blend. My enthusiasm from last year was renewed when tasting it in March, 1995. It is a superbly rich, concentrated, full-bodied Latour with remarkable intensity. The opaque purple color is followed by a flattering, open nose (Latour's black walnut/mineral-like character is well-displayed) with tons of fruit that bury any evidence of new oak. The wine exhibits fabulous intensity, excellent richness, a sweet inner-core of fruit, and a powerful, tannic but brilliantly well-defined, long finish. Although extremely unevolved and backward, it is not revealing any of the harsh astringency and tough tannin exhibited by some 1994 Medocs. This wine will shock many tasters who have not given the 1994 vintage much consideration. It is immensely superior to what Latour produced in 1989, 1986, 1985, and 1983. Look for it to be close to full maturity in a decade and last for at least 30-35 years. All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 01/04/1995

Latour's 1994 is clearly the top first-growth among the Medocs, in addition to being an early candidate for the "wine of the vintage." Only 52% of the harvest was utilized, and the blend may shock those readers used to the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon Latour routinely employs. The 1994 is composed of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, a whopping 27% Merlot (the highest quantity used this century), 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit-Verdot. The superb maturity of the Merlot, and the difficulties experienced with some of the cuvees of underripe Cabernet Sauvignon were the reasons behind the selection process. It was a daring but brilliant move. The 1994 Latour is an opaque purple-colored, remarkably powerful, rich, old style wine that, despite the high Merlot content, is one of the most backward and richest wines of the vintage. Latour appears to have everything together in this wine, which possesses gorgeously well-delineated, sweet, highly extracted, concentrated fruit, noticeably ripe tannin, and an explosively long, authoritative finish. It will unquestionably develop into one of the larger-scaled, more massive wines of the vintage, but 10-15 years of cellaring will be required as it is a 40-50 year wine. Administrator Christian Le Sommer and new proprietor, Francois Pinault, were both thrilled with what they achieved in 1994. Chills go up my spine at the thought of what the 1994 Latour would have tasted like had it not rained in September. Bravo!