Chateau LaTour-Martillac (Futures Pre-Sale) 2011
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Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is solid, with a core of black currant, crushed plum and fig notes laced judiciously with sweet toast and graphite notes. Nice length.
Barrel Sample: 90-93 Points -
James Suckling
Ripe and fresh still with wet earth, stone and lovely basil and lemon grass undertones. Full-bodied, chewy and tannic now but shows plenty of leather, tar and dark fruit character. Extracted style. Better in 2017.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This estate continues to produce better and better wines. Their 2011, one of the strongest efforts from the Pessac-Leognan appellation, initially reveals a note of spicy oak, but that quickly fades to the background as the black currant and sweet cherry fruit characteristics emerge. Fresh and medium-bodied, its excellent to outstanding concentration, good acidity and appealing style result in a delicious wine that should evolve for 12-15 years.
Barrel Sample: 88-90 Points -
Wine Enthusiast
Firmly tannic on the initial taste, this wine shows bell pepper and juicy black-fruit flavors. It is light and fruity, and finishes with dry tannins.
Barrel Sample: 88-90 Points
Alfred Kressmann, eldest son of Edouard, acquired the property in 1930. He changed the name to avoid confusion with its illustrious namesake in the Medoc and therefore Chateau Latour became Chateau LaTour-Martillac. There then followed a long period of reconstruction. The vineyard consists of a dozen hectares of which the majority was planted in white wine. Without touching the oldest plots, Alfred Kressmann added Cabernet Sauvignon to the merlot already in place. Interrupted by the war, the reconstruction was continued after by Jean Kressmann, who succeeded his father in 1954. Jean finally achieved the family dream to acquire the gravel slope, which separates the property from the village. Thus the vineyard was gradually extended to nearly 30 hectares.
Today, the 6 children of Jean Kressmann own the domain and continue on the family tradition. Tristan and Loïc, the two younger sons, manage the estate with the assistance of the best wine consultants in Bordeaux. With each following vintage they produce the best from this authentic Graves soil. Since the 1980’s, they have increased the area planted in Sauvignon Blanc to compliment perfectly with the Semillon, the historical grape variety of the property. For the red varieties, the tradition of blending Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot is now topped up with the excellent Petit Verdot variety, which is planted in one of the best gravel plots of the plateau of Martillac.