Château Latour-Martillac Pessac-Léognan rouge 2020 - Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

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.

Guide Hachette des vins

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

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

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 Enthusiast

About the wine:

This Graves Grand Cru Classé has produced a wine of elegant richness. Still very young, its powerful tannins mask the black fruit and acidity. As the wine ages, the fruit and richness will reveal themselves. This wine deserves to age for many years. Drink from 2028.

Vinous A. Galloni

About the wine:

Latour-Martillac 2020 has an impressive, highly engaging bouquet of blackberry, incense, graphite and light touches of black olive. It is very harmonious and well-defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, very well balanced, quite saline with a well-balanced, fairly persistent finish. Typical of Pessac-Léognan, it has a promising future. 2027-2055

James Suckling

About the wine:

Pristine black berries, chocolate, black licorice, walnut shell and graphite. Some wet stones too. Ample and muscular, with a range of fleshy, well-grained tannins that unfold harmoniously throughout the bold, black-fruit-rich palate. So much going on here. Long, creamy, chocolatey finish. Try after 2026.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

The nose is very pleasant, with notes of fresh, tart red fruit and white pepper. The palate is juicy, structured, with good thickness, fresh, full but not heavy, and deliciously crisp tannins. 2023-2053

Terre de Vins

About the wine:

Year after year, this château confirms its progress, and this 2020 is the first vintage to come out of the new vat room. If the nose of red berries fruit (redcurrant) is charming, with hints of coffee beans, the palate is dynamic and clean. Density and precision. The right amount of volume is balanced by a thread of freshness that expresses itself on the finish with a touch of eucalyptus and subtle, persistent violet licorice. The elegance is still there, but now there's more personality, while the whole remains very well balanced. A better-constructed identity: the result of hard work over the last few years.

Yves Beck

About the wine:

In view of the precision and definition displayed by this wine, we can't help but notice this drive to get to the bottom of things, and this ability to approach the 2020 vintage with obvious reflection. The wine is elegant, expressive and invigorating. With supportive, pertinent tannins, it underlines its excellent level and its ability to position itself at the forefront of the scene. What energy and sapidity! 2026-2045

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

Perfectly ripe red and black fruits are omnipresent. What makes them even better are the additional nuances of orange peel, flowers, smoke, cocoa and dried flowers. As pleasing as the nose is, it's equally so on the palate, with layers of silky, sensual, ripe, fruit-filled flavors that just won't quit. This wine is absolutely delicious today, but if you're patient, it will only get better with age. This could be the best vintage of Latour Martillac ever produced! Drink between 2025 and 2048.