Winemaker Notes
The color of this wine, with sparkling reflections, is intense and deep. Its complex nose combines black fruits (blackcurrant, black cherry, blueberry) and smoky notes of the terroir, with a touch of spice and pepper. The attack, soft and silky, evolves towards a full and harmonious mouth. A nice balance between tannins and freshness, which develops through a very nice length.
Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2019 Château Latour-Martillac, and I under-rated it from barrel. Revealing a dense ruby/plum color as well as a gorgeous bouquet of blackcurrants, black cherry, smoked tobacco, gravely earth, and chocolate, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, supple tannins, and one heck of a finish. It's beautifully done and will cruise for 25+ years in cold cellars. It needs plenty of air if drinking any time soon.
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James Suckling
Sweet berry, spice, tobacco and dried rose-petal aromas. Full-bodied with beautifully integrated tannins and a creamy, polished texture. Refined and complex. One of the best young bottles ever from here. Better after 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
Owned by the Kressmann family, a long-established Bordeaux negociant, this wine has ripe black fruits and dusty tannins. Both rich and structured, this wine needs aging and will be ready from 2026.
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Wine Spectator
This compact yet accessible wine is juicy, offering a solid burst of steeped plum and black currant fruit laced with black licorice and ending with a tarry note. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. D
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.