Winemaker Notes
An expressive nose of ripe black fruits, cachou and peony. The palate is balanced, ample, round and fleshy with structured and powerful tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich with great fruits and structure, this wood-aged wine brings out the crisp texture of Sauvignon Blanc while having a creamy character and light toastiness.
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackcurrant, spiced cherry, charred wood and some smoked meat. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Tight layers of dark fruit and spice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Latour Martillac comes barreling out of the glass with bold notes of baked blackberries, plum preserves and redcurrant jelly, plus suggestions of garrigue, pencil shavings and menthol with a waft of tree bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a sturdy frame of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness to support the generous fruit, finishing long and earthy.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Spectator
Sleek, with mesquite-infused cassis laced with an additional iron and sanguine thread. Finish picks up light savory and tobacco details. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2032.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A plump, up-front, and nicely textured Pessac, the 2018 Château Latour-Martillac has lots of red and black fruits, classic Graves notes of damp earth, tobacco, and earth, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and wonderful purity and elegance on the palate. It's beautifully done, and while it drops off slightly on the finish, I love its tannins, the balance is spot on, and it's going to drink nicely for 15 years or more.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.