Château Latour – Martillac
Château Latour Martillac
Vintage: 1999
Region: Pessac-Léognan, Graves, France
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 13%
Price: $57
If you cellar wine, one of the great pleasures is to pluck out a wine that you have been holding and enjoy it – preferably with friends. I had the chance to do this recently with the 1999 Château Latour Martillac that I acquired from The Wine Shop in Calgary. I chose to share this with some industry associates as often, I am tasting their wines and haven’t actively reciprocated. I made the decision to select the 99 Latour Martillac for a couple of reasons. For this vintage, it was suggested by critics that this wine probably would have hit its peak somewhere in 2007 which made me want to consume it while it still had some life. Also, the chance to consume older vintages of any wine (especially Bordeaux) is a tremendous opportunity for professionals and enthusiasts alike. It is a unique experience that doesn’t often present itself.
There was a bit of nervousness when I took the foil cap off the bottle. The fear of cork taint or oxidization is always a reality but fortunately this bottle was without fault. I was anticipating some signs of age however the body on this wine was violet trailing ever so slightly to its edges. So much for thinking this one was on the decline! The nose was presenting hints of barnyard and caramel with plums / prunes being the primary fruit aromas. It also had characteristics of torched earth and tar. We tested a little bit and decided to decant to allow it to open further. On the palate, the wine was out of this world, showing off complex layers of elegant, dark red fruit flavors with smooth dark tannins on a epically long finish. Overall, the entire experience was very old world in its style with the nuances and intricacies being the highlights rather than over extracted fruit. The wine evolved considerably over the one or so hours it was decanted, and after about 30 minutes, the tannins had softened considerably which added to the experience.
It is moments like these that make cellaring wine rewarding. When you can share something that you have kept under your care and the experience is enjoyable, it is impossible for it not to be memorable. I hope those I shared it with look back on its consumption with the same happy thoughts as I do.
91 points
- Château Latour – Martillac
- by Adrian Bryksa
- Published on October 14th, 2009
- Rating:
- 91 Points
More from Adrian Bryksa:
-
Barefoot Zinfandel
My expectations for this one aren’t high, but I have seen other consumers walk out of stores with case loads of this wine and big smiles on their faces so who knows….
-
Regional Heroes Wine Tasting
As if the wine wasn’t enough, the event was professionally catered and the food offerings were excellent. From crab stuffed mushroom caps to a wide array of cheeses and other appetizers, guests were given an opportunity to snack on some gourmet nosh while sampling in this intimate environment.
-
Bassermann-Jordan Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten Riesling Kabinett
November 4th, 2008 a historic day for the United States and the world. I believe I may have found a historic German Riesling!
-
Zimmermann Rosshimmel Riesling
As I continued to sip, the terroir to which the grapes were grown continued to shine through with those much desired flint, rock and mineral aspects pouring through.
-
2006 Pillar Box Red
Decant, decant, decant. I find myself talking about this more and more when it comes to red wines, especially new ones.
-
Huber Grüner Veltliner Obere Steigen D.A.C.
This is an almost exclusive Austrian varietal that seems to fit in between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc stylistically and sometimes exhibits some characteristics commonly found in Riesling. It sound like my kind of white.
Other recent features:
-
Sónar 2010 – Barcelona, Spain
The festival attracts a lot of outsiders, but the Mediterranean, Spanish and more specifically Catalan nature of the people makes the festival what it is. Catalan people are passionate and this passion is infectious. The atmosphere is electric in Barcelona as a city and heightened by music and intoxicants at Sónar.
-
Summer Party Naval Styles at Seven RestoLounge
Oysters, like wine are affected by terroir and these Miyagi’s flavor profiles ranged with one showing a cleaner, almost tropical profile and the other being more salty, marine driven. As I was devouring the seemingly endless plates put in front of us, I sipped on a glass of fine sauvignon blanc.
-
R4NT Radio March 2010
R4NT Radio March 2010 um wow it’s been far too long since the last edition edition, featuring: Hector Hernandez, The Infesticons, Blockhead, Gramatik, Emika, Thunderheist, Parov Stelar, Eddy Meets Yannah, Anti-Pop Consortium, The Slew, Lighterthief, Andreya Triana, Parasyte Woman, Mathon, Venetian Snares, and Funki Porcini.
-
O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
-
Predictions 2010.. and beyond!
So 2010 eh? Almost but not quite (no year zero they say) another decade? It seems like just yesterday that the world was waiting for Y2K. R4NT started publishing in March 2001, so we’re not quite 10 years old yet, but in internet years we are already a senior citizen.
-
Invictus
No matter what, the reality of Nelson Mandela is something that deserves screen time. Should this film even remotely intrigue the masses to take interest in this figure, the world would likely benefit greatly from it.
