Latour 2009 has been re-released from the cellars of the estate at €860 per bottle ex-negotiant, up 11.7% on the initial release (€770). The wine is being offered by the international trade at £10,300 per 12×75, down 6.4% on the original price of £11,000 per case, yet a 10.7% premium to the current market price of the wine (£9,300).
Chateau Latour left the En Primeur system after the release of 2011 vintage. They had however, been gradually reducing the amount of wine sold En Primeur from the early 2000s in anticipation of their new sales strategy. (Their first library release under this new strategy was in 2013 when 1500 cases of Latour 1995 were offered to the market).
The Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker awarded the 2009 100 points in both his barrel range and in-bottle rescoring. He described the wine as “a clone of the super 2003, only more structured and potentially more massive and long lived”, adding it is “one of the most monumental Latours ever made”.
Writing for the Wine Advocate seven years later, Lisa Perrotti-Brown also gave it a perfect score. She noted “Latour 2009 is unashamedly youthful […] just a baby, this needs time!”
James Suckling gave 100 points, claiming “a perfect wine” while Jancis Robinson scored it 19/20 in a blind tasting last year. She noted “wonderfully precise sweet fruit. Still very youthful.” Neal Martin awarded it 99 points, exclaiming “this Latour is firing on all cylinders”.
At today’s release price, the vintage sits level with the similarly scored 2010 vintage, however they both are positioned slightly above the implied fair value. The identically scored 2003 vintage falls beneath the fair value line and appears to offer good value. Buyers may also consider the recently released 2012 vintage – scored 96 points, it is currently the cheapest available on the market.
