2005 Château Latour-Martillac, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

2005 Château Latour-Martillac, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Product: 20051012332
Prices start from £450.00 per case Buying options
2005 Château Latour-Martillac, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
Case format
Availability
Price per case
12 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £450.00
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £450.00
New To BBX
New To BBX
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX

Description

The generous style of wines from the Graves region south of the City of Bordeaux finds a perfect expression in this wine from the 2005 vintage.  Generous and supple, smooth and welcoming

Ch La Tour Martillac is a good name in the Graves (now, of course, refined as Pessac-Léognan for the best communes), and one that carries Grand Cru Classé status for both its red and dry white wines. Arguably the estate was more famous for the latter in the past, but the reds have made very good progress in recent years and Michel Rolland is engaged as a consultant.

In earlier vintages under the Rolland banner the wine was perhaps too light for the level of new oak used, but adjustments of both now present themselves as well-matched in this example. La Tour Martillac has been owned and managed by the Kressmann family since the late 19th century and now under the stewardship of Tristan and Loïc Kressmann.

The tower that gives its name to this estate is all that remains of the 12th century fortification. Famously the gold and black label dates back to 1929, designed specifically for a bottle served in 1936 for the coronation of George Vl.
Mark Pardoe MW, BBR Wine Director

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Wine Advocate90+/100
Dense ruby purple, with the oak still showing a trifle too much, this 2005 is concentrated, rich, and possibly the most extracted and densest of any wine I have ever tasted from Latour-Martillac. Still youthful (with lots of cassis and graphite), this 2005 has entered its plateau of maturity. It should hit its prime in another 5 years and last a quarter of a century or more.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/06/2015 Read more
Robert Parker89/100
A deep ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by aromas of lead pencil shavings, smoke, toasty oak, and sweet black cherries and currants in this medium-bodied Pessac-Leognan. the 2005 La Tour Martilla possesses good acidity, excellent concentration, and a firm, slightly austere, astringent finish.
(Robert Parker -Wine Advocate #176 Apr 2008) Read more

About this WINE

Chateau Latour-Martillac

Chateau Latour-Martillac

La Tour Martillac has been owned and managed by the Kressmann family since the late 19th century and now under the stewardship of Tristan and Loïc Kressmann.

The tower that gives its name to this estate is all that remains of the 12th century fortification. The reds are typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (59%), Merlot (35%) and Malbec (6%). The whites are produced from Semillon (60%), Sauvignon Blanc (35%) and Muscasdelle (5%)

The wines have continued to improve in quality with the aid of some top Bordeaux consultants. Famously the gold and black label dates back to 1929, designed specifically for a bottle served in 1936 for the coronation of George Vl.

Find out more
Pessac-Leognan

Pessac-Leognan

In 1986 a new communal district was created within Graves, in Bordeaux,  based on the districts of Pessac and Léognan, the first of which lies within the suburbs of the city. Essentially this came about through pressure from Pessac-Léognan vignerons, who wished to disassociate themselves from growers with predominately sandy soils further south in Graves.

Pessac-Léognan has the best soils of the region, very similar to those of the Médoc, although the depth of gravel is more variable, and contains all the classed growths of the region. Some of its great names, including Ch. Haut-Brion, even sit serenely and resolutely in Bordeaux's southern urban sprawl.

The climate is milder than to the north of the city and the harvest can occur up to two weeks earlier. This gives the best wines a heady, rich and almost savoury character, laced with notes of tobacco, spice and leather. Further south, the soil is sandier with more clay, and the wines are lighter, fruity and suitable for earlier drinking.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. la Mission Haut-Brion, Ch. Pape Clément, Ch Haut-Bailly, Domaine de Chevalier, Ch. Larrivet-Haut-Brion, Ch. Carmes Haut-Brion, Ch. La Garde, Villa Bel-Air.

Find out more
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

Find out more