CHÂTEAU LATOUR MARTILLAC

The 2016 Latour-Martillac offers classic Pessac-Léognan scents on the nose: black fruit, black olive and a touch of sage, plus hints of blue fruit that emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and fine acidity. A little compact toward the finish, but with good persistence. My feeling is that this will close down quite soon after bottling, but there is a great wine here. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Latour-Martillac has an understated nose at first, but it unfurls and becomes quite a seductive Pessac-Léognan with ample blackberry and raspberry fruit, and a subtle hint of black olive. I admire the precision here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, supple tannin overlaid by blackberry and bilberry fruit, sea salt and black pepper. Showing excellent focus and abundant freshness on the finish, this is an assured and sophisticated Latour-Martillac that will give many years of pleasure. Drinking range: 2022 - 2042 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Purplish crimson. Mild nose. Sweet start. Just a tad formulaic with a rasping dry finish. Seems to taste more of winemaking than vineyard. Quite a bit of alcohol on the end. Lacks real vivacity and freshness, however ripe the initial impression is. Drinking range: 2023 - 2032 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Layered flavors of boysenberry and raspberry confiture and notes of cassis and melted red licorice pump through, backed by a tarry finish that shows a slightly extracted feel. Maintains pretty good energy throughout. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

Dense and chewy young wine with stone, blackberry and blueberry character. Full and chewy. Shows potential. Another 2015? Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

This is a successful wine, firmly extracted, and erring on the side of dark chocolate and rich, ripe black cherry flavours. With extremely soft and elongated tannins, this is a great 2016 that brings out the best of the vintage and displays a sense of joyousness. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Latour-Martillac is a deep, plush wine. The new oak is perhaps pushed to the edge, and yet there is so much fruit intensity, it almost doesn't matter. Readers should expect an unusually opulent wine for the appellation, built on a core of huge, super-ripe fruit. Plum, bittersweet chocolate, licorice and sweet spice punctuate the decadent finish. Rating: 89 - 92+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Latour-Martillac has made some of its best ever wines in 2016. This is a beautifully judged red that avoids the pitfalls of the vintage, while making the best of its many good points. Dense, complex and savoury, it has refined tannins, layered dark berry fruit, bright acidity and impressive palate length. Drinking range: 2026 - 2035 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)