2022 Chateau Latour-Martillac Pessac Leognan

Château Latour-Martillac, a Grand Cru Classé de Graves, has been a benchmark for Pessac-Léognan wines since the Kressmann family acquired it in 1929. Named after its historic tower, the estate is known for producing wines with depth, structure, and longevity. The gravel-rich terroir allows for a perfect balance of elegance and power, and the 2022 vintage exemplifies this, delivering a modern yet timeless expression of the estate’s signature style.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot, this vintage offers blackberry, blueberry, and cassis aromas with hints of floral and earthy minerality. The medium to full-bodied palate is polished yet structured, with fine tannins and a long, refined finish. James Suckling (95-96) highlights its focus and balance, while Jeb Dunnuck (93-95) notes its rich texture and lively energy. Neal Martin (92-94) describes it as powerful and weighty, with mocha-infused black fruit and great aging potential.

The 2022 Château Latour-Martillac is built for longevity, with its structured tannins and depth suggesting strong cellaring potential. Already showing impressive character, it will continue to evolve beautifully, offering greater finesse and complexity over time.

Aging: The wine is aged for 16 to 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels.

The 2022 Château Latour-Martillac reveals an aromatic bouquet of cassis, blueberry, raspberry, licorice, menthol, iris, and violet. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, offering a perfectly balanced experience with a fleshy mid-palate and seamless texture, culminating in a moderately concentrated and elegant finish.

Very polished and focused this year with blackberry and blueberry characters, as well as blackcurrants. Medium body. Fine tannins. Lovely length. ~95-96 JS

The 2022 Latour-Martillac has a slightly ripe nose than its peers: candied red berry fruit, orange rind, and light loamy aromas percolating through with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite thickly-textured tannins, weighty and powerful with cedar and mocha-infused black fruit on the assertive finish. It lacks a bit of finesse now, but I can see this surprising a few people with the wherewithal to cellar for a decade. ~92-94 NM-VM

The ruby/plum-hued 2022 Château Latour-Martillac offers up a smoking good bouquet of ripe currants, cassis, and assorted blue fruits as well as some classic Graves chocolate, scorched earth, and floral notes. Full-bodied, rich, and textured, it has lots of ripeness yet never goes over the top and stays balanced and lively. ~93-95 JD

Barrel sample. The wine is ripe, a product of the hot, dry year. But it still manages to retain a fresh, spicy character that will develop as the wood aging moves forward. ~94 Wine Enthusiast