Château Latour Martillac 2016 - Grand Cru Classé de Graves

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Very colorful, intense, harmonious, certainly an excellent value for money for the lover of great ageing wines and classicism.

About the domain :

This cru classé is a model of family ownership, with all the Kressmann children showing an almost filial attachment to their estate and very sound management. The reds have gained in tannin finesse and textural elegance. The wines are classic, with the emphasis on fruit, tannin quality and freshness. Under the guidance of the very talented and rigorous Valérie Vialard, the whites are irreproachable, precise, aromatic and perfectly lively.

Decanter

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

Between garnet and violet, this wine keeps its promises. Admittedly, the bouquet is not yet fully assertive, but it already hints at its future finesse, with beautiful notes of red fruit. Round and supple on the attack, the palate develops in strength, revealing a solid tannic structure. A square Pessac, built to last.

About the domain :

While many of the great names of the Bordeaux wine trade have chosen to establish themselves in the Médoc, the Kressmanns have opted for the Graves and this cru, acquired in 1930, which owes its name to a tower adorning its courtyard, a vestige of a château built in the 12th century by ancestors of Montesquieu. This beautiful 50-hectare estate is renowned for both its white and red wines.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Deep garnet-purple Latour Martillac 2016 presents notes of warm plums, kirsch jelly and redcurrant on the nose, with hints of bay leaf, iron ore and black soil. Medium-bodied, with a well-supported attack of muscular fruit on the palate, it has a firm structure with fine-grained tannins and superb freshness, and finishes with a long aftertaste.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The 8% Petit Verdot in the blend brings color to this full-bodied, very complete wine, with magnificent, creamy, structuring tannins. The finish is long and mineral. A great success for this vintage in top form.

About the domain :

This is a fine example of a family estate, still in the hands of the Kressmanns, a historic family of Bordeaux merchants. Today, Tristan and Loïc Kressmann are at the helm of this well-situated cru classé on the Martillac plateau. The different generations have respected the heritage handed down, while making progress in vineyard management and vinification with their cellar master, Valérie Vialard. The château inaugurated a new vinification cellar for red wines with the 2019 vintage. Without yielding to the siren calls of passing fashions, the wines have retained their elegant, precise style, but are gaining in density. This convincing balance between tradition and modernity, together with the particularly distinguished character of recent vintages, leads us to award Latour-Martillac a second star.

Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

This structured wine, supported by plenty of blackcurrant fruit, is initially austere. Its richness needs time to develop into the classically structured wine this estate is so good at making. Drink from 2025.

Jancis Robinson

Vinous A. Galloni

James Suckling

About the wine:

It is very fragrant with blackberry and blueberry aromas, but has a background of warm stone and white almond. It's medium to full-bodied with tight, silky tannins that are extremely polished and beautiful. I love the length and balance of this wine. Try it after 2022.