Light color, opened with a nose of parmesean cheese and nuts. Very slight oak with a hint of lime, otherwise not much fruit.

89

What's the general reputation of Louis Latour among burg-hounds? Trustworty name that you can turn to in a sea of small, unfamiliar labels? Mass produced plonk? Somewhere in between?

I'm not asking this critically ...I honestly don't know anything, except that I see a lot more Latour wines on the shelves in the UK than just about anything else from Burgundy.

Louis Latour pasteurizes all of their wines. I believe that you can taste this or the lack of taste in the wines. While they are dependable they are rarely excellent.

I've had one or two really nice wines from Louis Latour, a 1985 Corton Grancy stands out, but generally I've found them to be only fair representations of the site and vintage.

I don't have much experience with Latour burgundies. I had an opportunity to taste at least 8 premier cru latour whites side by side and this white and the 1999 Corton were the only 2 I liked. This Morgeot was good, but for the money I'd take a Chablis.

Overall, they produce decent wine. In some vintages the Corton Charlemagne can be spectacular. The great Corton Charlemagnes can be great buys because the cost per bottle is kept down by LL's reputation.

I've seen the 2000 and 2002 recently for a fair price (the Corton Charlemagne). Good years for LL?

Thx,
Jay.

I have not tasted the 2002 but given the quality of 2002 White Burgundies I would buy one to try.

I've never had a great Burgundy from Latour, Drouhin, or Faiveley- some good ones, to be sure, but never a great one.

I've had a couple great bottles from these producers - a 1985 Latour Coton Grancy and a 1990 Drouhin Beaune "Clos des Mouches" Blanc, but I agree with you. These producers don't hit the heights very often - certainly not nearly as often as they should given the grapes they get.