Collection: Les Forts de Latour 2015: Second in Name Only

The glorious wines from Château Latour have defined power and ageworthiness for generations of wine enthusiasts. Latour’s terroir has always been exceptional, giving its winemaking team a strong hand to begin with. But in recent vintages, the happy combination of inspired leadership, granular knowledge in the vineyards and technological advancements in the cellars has resulted in wines consistently reaching new heights.

While the ‘Grand Vin’ has been the most obvious beneficiary of this remarkable progress, Latour’s second wine ‘Les Forts de Latour’ has quietly risen in stature as well. So much so that the time has come to give credit to the ‘Second Vin’ for what it truly is: a great Pauillac in and of itself.

‘Les Forts’ is crafted with the same expert care as Château Latour’s ‘Grand Vin’. However, a slightly higher proportion of Merlot is used for ‘Les Forts’s final blend (36.5% for vintage 2015), which is aged in 50% new French oak barrels. This regimen matches the depth of fruit that younger vines (average of 40 years for this bottling) achieve on these blessed soils.

The 2015 vintage perfectly encapsulates what makes ‘Les Forts’ a first among the seconds. This somewhat challenging harvest, with contrasting weather conditions oscillating between June/July drought and heavy rains in August and September, was handled masterfully by Latour’s winemaking team. At almost a decade of bottle age, ‘Les Forts’ 2015 is currently reaching its plateau of maturity. The nose is very expressive, with focused notes of blackcurrant, licorice and cigar box enhanced by an intriguing hint of exotic spices. The palate shows grip and suavity all at once, evoking a lively choreography between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Freshness and energy carry the wine to a long finish revealing subtle mineral notes of pencil shavings and graphite. ‘Les Forts’ is ready to be enjoyed now, but will age gracefully over the next 2 decades.

Sotheby’s Wine is pleased to offer ‘Les Forts de Latour’ from the outstanding 2015 vintage, alongside other ready-to-enjoy vintages of this incredible wine.

Cheers!