Following last year’s release of the 2016 Grand Vin and 2019 Forts de Latour, we have another brace of outstanding vintages with the 2026 ex-chateau releases from the silverback of Bordeaux, Château Latour.
2019 Château Latour is a clear contender for the wine of the vintage in what is a brilliant year. Stylistically riper and more rounded than the 2016, it is reminiscent of the perfect 2009 from the estate. The brilliance of 2019 - much like 2009 or 1982 - is that the wines of the northern Médoc have have a measured ripeness that makes them seamless and moreish yet structured enough to age for decades. Latour might just be the very best at showing this.
2020 Forts de Latour, as usual, feels more like a second growth than a second wine. Delivering the structure and precision of the vintage, it is deep, focused and chalky, and truly Pauillac in style. Reviews of 94 from William Kelley ("terrific depth") and 95 from Neal Martin ("Excellent.") all point to a long-lived, promising future for this wine, with drinking windows stretching as far as 2060. Frédéric Engerer, Managing Director of the Artemis group that includes Latour, believes this is the best wine here since the 2010. Indeed, it includes a parcel of Merlot usually intended for the Grand Vin that adds body and gives the wine drinkability now despite its cellaring potential.
The wines will be available for delivery in June 2026.
