One of the finest second wines now being made, Les Forts de Latour comes from the same parcel every year. The 2011 is composed of 61.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38.5% Merlot. Forty-three percent of the Latour production was relegated to this cuvee. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by a big, sweet nose of creme de cassis, underbrush, licorice and incense. Medium to full-bodied, deep, fleshy and already appealing, this 2011 should gain complexity over the next 5-7 years, and last for 15-20.
By the way, Latour harvested relatively late for the Medoc, beginning the harvest on September 12 and finishing on September 26.
Aromas of dried berries and fresh herbs such as lemongrass. Full body with firm, chewy tannins and a chocolate, pie-crust, berry and mineral character. A little salty and mineral. Needs at least five to six years.
Forty three per cent of the production at Latour went into the second wine in 2011. The result is a good rather than thrilling Les Forts: forward, comparatively light, for a Pauillac with fresh acidity, medium weight tannins, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit and well integrated (50% new) oak. 8+ years.
Lovely fragrance, natural purity and vineyard depth, beautifully made claret - a jewel of a wine. Drink 2017-2030.
The Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 61.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It has a strict, clinical bouquet with blackberry, boysenberry, crushed stone and a strong graphite seam. The palate is very precise on the entry, a little grainy in texture with fine minerality. It is unashamedly classic, nothing out of place, a second wine with its shirt tucked in and its tie done right up to the collar...and I like it for that. Tasted April 2012.
This is really excellent. Love the nose of minerals, violets and berries. Full body, with super fine tannins and a long, long finish. Slightly lean but seamless tannins.