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

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

This classified growth is a model of a family-run estate, with all the Kressmann children showing an almost filial devotion to their heritage and a very sound management style. The red has gained significantly in tannin finesse and textural elegance. The wines are classic, with an emphasis on fruit, quality tannins, and freshness. Under the guidance of the highly talented and meticulous Valérie Vialard, the whites are impeccable, precise, aromatic, and perfectly lively.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

While many of Bordeaux’s leading wine merchants have chosen to establish themselves in the Médoc, the Kressmanns opted for the Graves region and this estate, acquired in 1930, which takes its name from a tower that stands in its courtyard—a remnant of a château built in the 12th century by ancestors of Montesquieu. A beautiful 50-hectare estate 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 estate:

Here is a fine example of a family-owned estate, still in the hands of the Kressmanns, a historic family of Bordeaux wine merchants. Tristan and Loïc Kressmann are now at the helm of this cru classé, which enjoys a prime location on the Martillac plateau. Generation after generation has preserved the legacy passed down to them, while making steady progress in vineyard management and winemaking under the guidance of their cellar master, Valérie Vialard. The château inaugurated a new winemaking cellar for red wines with the 2019 vintage. Without succumbing to the allure of passing trends, the wines have retained their elegant and precise style; however, they are gaining in density. This highly convincing balance between tradition and modernity, as well as the particularly distinguished character of the latest 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 come to the fore. This wine deserves to be cellared for many years. Best enjoyed starting in 2028.

Vinous

About the wine:

The 2020 Latour-Martillac offers an impressive and very inviting bouquet of blackberry, incense, graphite, and subtle hints of black olive. It is very harmonious and well-defined. On the palate, it is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, very well-balanced, quite briny, and has a balanced and 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. A hint of wet stone as well. Full-bodied and muscular, with a range of fleshy, well-structured tannins that unfold harmoniously throughout the bold, black-fruit-rich palate. There is so much going on here. A long, creamy, chocolatey finish. Best enjoyed after 2026.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

The nose is very pleasant, with notes of fresh, tangy red berries and white pepper. On the palate, it is juicy and well-structured, with lovely body, freshness, and fullness without heaviness, and deliciously crisp tannins. 2023–2053

Terre de Vins

About the wine:

Year after year, this château continues to improve, and this 2020 is the first vintage to emerge from the new aging cellar. While the nose of red berries (redcurrant) is charming, nuanced by hints of coffee beans, the palate proves dynamic and crisp. It offers density and precision. The right amount of body is balanced by a thread of freshness that comes through in the finish with a hint of eucalyptus and a subtle, lingering note of violet licorice. The elegance is still there, but there is now more personality, while the wine remains very well-balanced. A more defined identity: the result of some fine work over the past few years.

Yves Beck

About the wine:

Given the precision and definition evident in this wine, one cannot help but note this drive to get to the heart of the matter and this ability to approach the 2020 vintage with clear thoughtfulness. The result is an elegant, expressive, and invigorating wine. With its supportive and well-integrated tannins, it underscores its excellent quality and its potential to take center stage. What energy and flavor! 2026–2045

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

Perfectly ripe red and black fruits are ever-present. What makes them even better are the additional notes of orange peel, flowers, smoke, cocoa, and dried flowers. As delightful as the nose is, so too is the palate, with layers of silky, sensual, ripe, and fruit-forward flavors that just keep coming. This wine is absolutely delicious today, but if you’re patient, it will only get better with age. This could be the best vintage Latour Martillac has ever produced! Drink between 2025 and 2048.