Focused and fresh, with milk chocolate and berry aromas. Subtle and refined on the nose. Full-bodied and very elegant, featuring a solid core of ultrafine tannins and a long, long finish. So much finesse here. Still tight, needing time in the bottle to open. No longer big, this is in just the right proportions for the vintage.

Reminding me slightly of the 2001, the 1999 Chateau Latour offers an utterly classic Latour elegance and complex in its beautiful dark fruits, lead pencil, cedarwood, dried tobacco, and assorted spice-like aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a balanced, mature, seamless mouthfeel, polished and integrated tannins, and a great finish. It's not a blockbuster but excels on its finesse and complexity. I was able to follow this bottle for two days, and it never showed a hint of oxidation or fatigue, and unquestionably has another two decades of longevity. There's no need to delay gratification, however, since this beauty is drinking at point.

The 1999 Latour has a dark garnet color with little aging on the rim. The nose is closed initially and demands coaxing, eventually revealing blackberry, cedar and light pencil-shaving aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, displaying some secondary notes of clove, white pepper and a distinct earthiness that comes through on the finish.

The 1999 Latour doesn't quite dominate the competition the way the 1994 does, but it, too, is a lovely wine, exhibiting notes of blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, rich soil tones and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively concentrated, with velvety tannins, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish, it is showing beautifully today.