Château Latour has unveiled the 2013 vintage of its Grand Vin, and it’s priced at €355 ($420 USD) per bottle ex-négociant, €5 more than the 2012’s release price. Last year, when the iconic Bordeaux first growth launched its 2012 vintage, it marked the first time Latour released a wine as mature stock.
The news of the rise in price comes as ratings of the Latour Grand Vin 2013 were lower than they have been in some time. It scored 92 points from Antonio Galloni of Vinous, and 91 points from Neal Martin. Nonetheless, the release still seems to be the crème de la crème for the vintage: “While it doesn’t have Latour’s signature backbone or gravitas, it is approachable and harmonious. It’s about as good as the Left Bank gets in this vintage,” said Martin.
In good news, the wine seems to be getting better with age. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW of The Wine Advocate’s recently sent a re-assessment of the wine stating that Latour 2013 is “ageing gracefully” and is “absolutely delicious to drink right now.”
With the new Grand Vin vintage expected to retail at around $500 per bottle, the rise in price is causing questions aomg some. The 2012 vintage of Latour is currently retailing for around $470 and has received better reviews.
In similar news, Lafite has also released the 2015 vintage of its second wine, Les Forts de Latour, €155 ($183 USD) per bottle ex-négociant, 10% above the release price of the 2014 vintage. The 2014 vintage also received higher marks than the 2015 vintage. However, Wine Lister believes the “general reputation of the 2015 vintage as a whole may carry it through.”
“What will be interesting to see is how the two releases might interact with one another in a release year where Forts de Latour perhaps provides a better argument for investment in future drinking, while it’s big brother could be one to consume in the nearer future,” added Wine Lister.