2019 Château Latour-Martillac

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.

Aromas of rich black fruits, burning embers and loamy soil introduce the 2019 Latour Martillac, a full-bodied, broad and ample wine with a generous core of fruit framed by succulent acids and an abundance of powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully chewy finish. This is a powerful, rather extracted Pessac that's likely to remain a little burly throughout its life.

The 2019 Latour-Martillac was a little perplexing from the barrel samples that I received a few months back. Now in bottle, here is the Pessac-Léognan I know, with ample blackberry, cedar, black olive and light marine scents on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite fleshy but still nicely structured, and showing fine backbone on the sappy, white-pepper- and sage-tinged finish. Now this is promising.