Regular

The 2016 Latour has everything on the nose: blackberry, graphite, crushed stone, subtle estuarine scents—it’s all here, and exquisitely defined, too. This corresponds exactly to previous bottles tasted at the property. The palate is medium-bodied with life-affirming graphite-tinged black fruit delivered with a sense of symmetry, mineral-driven with a captivating, precise finish. Utterly sublime. Tasted at the 10-Year-On tasting at Bordeaux Index.

The 2021 Masseto is a stunner. It also shows how much the estate has evolved in recent years. I was reminded of that recently when I drank the 2001, considered by many observers, including this one, to be one of the greatest wines ever made here. The 2021 represents a move towards a more refined style. There’s less of the bombastic intensity and extraction that were once the norm here. I remember young vintages that were impossible to taste young. The 2021, on the other hand, is an absolute delight. Crushed flowers, spice, blood orange and bright, red-toned fruit all grace the palate. Floral aromatics and saline underpinnings are at times reminiscent of the Cabernet Franc found in the 2019 and 2020, but the 2021 is back to the classic 100% Merlot. Readers will find a Masseto built on linear energy more than volume. The 2021 is quite simply the most exquisite, refined young Masseto I have ever tasted. Aging was 24 months in 100% new French oak.

The 2019 Les Forts de Latour has an open nose, strangely perhaps a little more expressive than the 2020 Pauillac de Latour at the moment. Scents of blackberry, cassis and iris flower unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crushed stone infusing the black fruit. This has attained more linearity since I encountered it in January 2023. The 2019 will give two or three decades of pleasurable drinking.

Blackberries, menthol, sage, stone dust and cloves define the youthfully restrained 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Loreto. This flows across the palate with ease, silky with depths of ripe raspberry and sour cherry as fine-grained tannins saturate toward the close. It finishes spicy and long, structured yet lively while stimulating the imagination with its future potential. Hints of cocoa, lavender and current leaf linger, seeming to last for well over a minute. Color impressed me.

The 2019 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata is a potent wine. The more floral, savory side of Rocche dell'Annunziata comes through in a deep, virile Barolo that drinks well today. As always, there's a bit more new oak in the Rocche than in the other Barolos because of the small size of Veglio's parcel.

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is airy and fresh, cascading from the glass with dusty rose and violet tones before giving way to dried strawberries and hints of cinnamon spice. It sweeps across the palate with the silkiest textures, seamless and round, with a polished feel as saline minerals add traction to its ripe red berry fruits. The 2019 finishes with tremendous length while maintaining refinement and grace. Classically formed tannins add the perfect punctuation to this wonderfully balanced experience.