Latour is rightly considered one of the world's finest wine estates. James Suckling, of the Wine Spectator, even went as far as naming it the "greatest ever" on his blog last month: "I think of longevity and a consistent track record for great wines, and I don't think any other name comes close."
Unfortunately Latour's lofty repuation is matched only by its price tag, which even in lesser vintages comes in at well over £2,000 a case.
Those with less expansive wallets have long looked at less expensive options for their taste of top Medoc. In recent years it has arguably been Pontet Canet – the Pauillac Fifth Growth – that has been most often named as the top value pick (not least in the Liv-ex Bordeaux En Primeur Survey). Robert Parker, in particular, has been never-ending in his praise for the improvements made under the careful stewardship of the Tesseron family.
So how does the performance of Pontet Canet compare with that of Latour? It may come as some surprise to find out that (according to Robert Parker, at least) Pontet Canet has produced the marginally better wine in each of the last four vintages. The price difference, however, is not marginal: Latour usually costs between five to ten times as much, depending on vintage.
Below are the scores from Robert Parker (source: erobertparker.com) and the current cheapest merchant list price for a 12x75cl case (excluding duty and VAT) showing on Liv-ex.com.
The track record of Latour, of course, is far superior to its upstart neighbour (indeed, prior to 2005 there is no contest) but this exercise does show the excellent value that is currently available in Bordeaux among the (previously) lesser lights.
Those on the hunt for something delicious for the cellar need look no further than Pontet Canet 2006, which looks great value at around £40 a bottle all in.
