| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
First produced in 1966, this is not really a second wine as it is produced from separate parts of the vineyard which contain many old vines, as well as from some vats that are not quite up to the standards of the Grand Vin de Château Latour. Grapes from the vineyard's young vines do not go into Les Forts de Latour but are used for the very good "Pauillac de Latour" and a further amount is sold as generic Pauillac. Les Forts de Latour is clearly the equivalent of a top classed growth and consistently matches the likes of the Pichons and Lynch Bages in blind tastings. It is not sold en primeur and the latest vintage to be released was the 2012 in March 2018.
The 2017 Les Forts de Latour has a stupendous bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and oyster shell aromas, very well defined and focused and to be honest, much more intense than I was expecting. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, so elegant and poised with delicate touches of graphite and cracked black pepper towards the pixelated finish. What an outstanding, over-performing Les Forts de Latour. 2023-2055.
The 2017 Les Forts de Latour is composed of 65.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 0.8% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet in color, it comes galloping out with bold notions of warm cassis, blackberry pie, and dried roses, plus suggestions of crushed rocks, wild sage, and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate is completely filled with delicate waves of bright, refreshing black and red berry layers, supported by super-ripe, super-fine tannins, finishing long and perfumed. This is stunning!
This is really minerally with crushed stones and dark berries. Some licorice. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a beautiful, tight and focused finish. Such energy, delivered down a straight line.
A floral curl on the first nose, this is an attractive and sappy Forts de Latour, with a fine, elegant, almost chalky aspect to the tannins. Thoroughly charming raspberry and blackberry fruit, fresh earth, cocoa power and slate, with a mouthwatering finish. An elegant feel to this, more evolved than in bigger vintages at the six year stage although still with clear architecture to the tannins. As you sit with it you start to realise just how carefully it is gripping on through the palate, and how fine a wine it is. As with many in Pauillac, Latour found the September rains of 2017 challenging, and two of the plots normally used for the main estate wine are in Forts this year. 6.7% press wine. Hélène Genin techincal director, harvest September 11 to October 4.
Very dark with black core. Extremely pure cassis nose. Tight and dark and savoury on the palate with graphite dark freshness. Very fine texture, dry but not drying. Paper layers of subtle tannins building density but shot through with pure cassis scent. Extremely moreish and fresh. Long and scented on the finish. 13.3%
Drink 2027-2037
The 2017 Les Forts is made up of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep purple in colour with a dense and brooding nose of cassis and nutmeg. The concentration and intensity is not that of a second wine, with oodles of black fruit pairing the ripe but firm, cedary tannins. Expansive and powerful on the finish, this is another fantastic Forts de Latour.
The nose is fragrant woodland violets the palate lots of blackcurrants. Depth in the middle the brooding black fruits backed by dark chocolate concentrated and complex. There is some underlying freshness but the rich fruit the ripe black cherry is there at the back enriching the finish. Drink 2026 - 2040.
Seriously elegant, rather cultured and less powerful than I expected. This is a rather well made and classy Les Forts and I admire its calm attitude and nicely balanced demeanour. This is a more genial and sensual expression for this wine.
A blend of 65.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 0.8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Les Forts de Latour is deep garnet-purple in color and strides confidently out of the glass with classic notes of plum preserves, warm cassis and pencil shavings with nuances of mulberries, pencil lead, Indian spices and forest floor. Medium-bodied, the palate packs a lot of fruit into a very elegant, tightly knit palate, delivering expressive blackberry and spicy flavors with a firm frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with a peppery kick. Drink 2022-2045.
The 2017 Les Forts de Latour has a crisp, focused bouquet with blackberry, graphite and cedar, a little tighter than the 2016 last year, a little airier. The palate is medium-bodied underpinned by very refined and supple tannin that lend this a silky texture. I can envisage this being a more approachable Les Forts de Latour compared to recent vintages, with a lovely sense of mineralité that blossoms on the finish. Excellent. Drink 2020 - 2040.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Les Forts de Latour features beautiful blackcurrants, redcurrants and kirsch overtones with touches of bay leaves, lavender, tobacco, tilled soil, cedar chest and red roses. The palate is medium-bodied, firm, grainy and refreshing with a great intensity of flavors—quite muscular and densely packed—with a nice long, earth and mineral-laced finish.
Some areas inland and to the north of Pauillac were frosted (plots that go into Les Forts and Pauillac), but the Enclos’ enviable proximity to the estuary meant it was completely spared. “The viticulture as well as winemaking have dramatically changed the styles of wine a vintage like 2017 can produce,” Frédéric Engerer commented during my en primeur visit, adding a reference to the vintage’s phenomenal ability to produce wines that are, “approachable now and have the ability to age.” Engerer speaks from a somewhat unique position, now being in control of one of Napa Valley’s top estates, what I fondly refer to in my own mind as the region where you can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to drinking windows.
I love what technical director Hélène Génin is doing here, it's full of power and finesse. As with its neighbours, Latour found the rains in June extremely helpful, the ones of September a little less so, and two of the plots normally used for the grand vin are in Forts this year. The overall feel of the wine is sculpted, not soft but with give in those tannins that makes the overall texture bouncy and vibrant. There's a little less press wine than in a normal year (7% compared to 9%), and it should be ready to drink in six to eight years, a little earlier than both the 2015 and 2016. It feels close to the 2014 in character, but with higher aromatics. 45% of overall production.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2038
