Elegant and precise, this second wine from Château Latour impresses with its mineral depth, soft tannins, and notes of blackberry, briary, and violet. Refined rather than powerful, it’s beautifully balanced and drinking well now with potential to age further.

The Wine Advocate | RP 92
Published: May 30, 2016
Drink: 2016-2035

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Les Forts de Latour has a much more precise and lively bouquet than the Le Petit Mouton: blackberry, briary and vanilla emerging from the glass, suggesting that it needs another couple of years to reach its peak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, commendable depth of fruit and tangible mineralité. This is better than some of the Pauillac Grand Vins, such is the detail and energy on the finish. Superb. Tasted January 2016.

Decanter | D 89
Published: Bordeaux 2006 wines to drink now
Drink: 2016-2026

Still faint traces of violet suggest the fruit has kept its youth intact. Soft tannins on the attack through, and this is really shaping up to be ready to drink. Very pretty, not as powerful as some years but great quality. Beautifully restrained tannins that are still cradling the ripe blackberry fruit. Soaring sense of upward motion, crisp and clean on the finish but falls well below the first wine.

Chateau-latour.com

Les Forts de Latour takes its name from an historic plot in the « Enclos ». The wine was first labelled with this name in 1966 and constant work on developing its quality has resulted in its achieving the level of a Médoc Grand Cru Classé.

Les Forts de Latour is produced with the same meticulous care as the Grand Vin, both in the vineyard and in the winery. The only notable difference, apart from the origin of the grapes, is the proportion of new barrels (50 to 60%) used in the maturing stage.

The blend for Forts de Latour can vary from one year to the next but there is always a higher proportion of Merlot (25 to 30%) compared to the Grand Vin.