Chateau Latour "Les Forts de Latour" 2019
(Pauillac, Bordeaux, France) - [JS 97] [TWI 95] [VM 94] [WA 94] [DM 94] [JD 93+]

About the Wine:
Les Forts de Latour, Chateau Latour's second wine, takes its name from a historic plot within the vineyard. The wine was first labelled with this name in 1966 and 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. In addition, 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. 

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - James Suckling:
"Exquisite aromas of lavender, cigar ash and Spanish cedar with dried citrus follow through to a medium body and a solid palate with powerful, ultrafine and linear tannins. The muscle and long finish are so beautiful. Give it two or three years but already a solid wine. Drink after 2028." (Jan 2025)

95 Points - The Wine Independent:
"Composed of 65.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31.9% Merlot, and 2.3% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Les Forts de Latour is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with classic scents of cedar, cassis, and plum preserves, followed by suggestions of bay leaves, lavender, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is tight-knit, bright, and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins and a mineral-laced finish." - LPB (May 2025)

94 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2019 Les Forts de Latour has an open nose, strangely perhaps a little more expressive than the 2020 Pauillac de Latour at the moment. Scents of blackberry, cassis and iris flower unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crushed stone infusing the black fruit. This has attained more linearity since I encountered it in January 2023. The 2019 will give two or three decades of pleasurable drinking. (Drink 2030-2055)" - Neal Martin (Feb 2025)

94 Points - Wine Advocate: 
"The 2019 Les Forts de Latour appears to have tightened up a little since I last tasted it a few years ago. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet cassis fruit mingled with hints of cedar, iris, orange zest and new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, lively and nicely concentrated, with a ripe core of fruit underpinned by chalky structuring tannins. While it's approachable after a decant, it certainly merits additional patience. As readers will remember, this bottling mostly derives from dedicated parcels located further inland from Latour's famous "Enclos," next to Château Haut-Batailley. (Drink 2029-2050)" - William Kelley (Feb 2025)

94 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"A captivating nose of milk chocolate, cola, cherries, and violets, offering a soft and inviting bouquet. The palate is fully textured, opening gradually to coat the cheeks and tongue in a fine layer of chalky tannins. Juicy and succulent through the mid-palate, it bursts with citrus zest, orange and lemon pith, cranberries, and red cherries. There’s a beautiful interplay of bite and tension, with a sapid freshness and a mineral core of crushed stones and iron. The finish ends bright, minty, and herbal, delivering great drive and persistence. 3.60pH. (Drink between 2026-2046)" – Georgina Hindle (Feb 2025)

93+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2019 Les Forts De Latour is more open, expressive, and complex, with a medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific aromatics of ripe currants, leather, graphite, and cedary spice. I love its overall purity, and it has fabulous balance and outstanding length. Coming from slightly less ideal parcels (those farther from the Gironde estuary), it doesn't have the density of the 2020 or 2022 but shines for its overall equilibrium and elegance, while still bringing some solid Pauillac power. (Drink between 2025-2045)." (Mar 2025)