Les Forts de Latour
⏳ Drinking Window
2028 - 2050
🍷 Vintage Profile
The 2018 growing season presented a dramatic dichotomy, beginning with an exceptionally wet spring that required rigorous canopy management and biodynamic treatments to counter relentless downy mildew pressure, before shifting into an uninterrupted, sun-drenched summer from July onward. This prolonged warm, dry spell encouraged optimal phenolic maturation while cool nights preserved vital acidity, producing dense, thick-skinned berries with high anthocyanin levels. Harvest yielded exceptionally concentrated fruit framed by powerful, velvety tannins, generous mid-palate weight, and intense dark fruit aromatics. Acclaimed as an opulent, high-extract vintage, the 2018 is entering its primary drinking window by 2026, though its architectural structure supports extended cellar maturation through 2045.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb, prime rib with rosemary, roasted duck
✨ Technical Specifications
The 2018 vintage of Les Forts de Latour is a magnificent testament to a year of dramatic climatic contrasts in Pauillac. A damp, challenging spring that demanded rigorous biodynamic vigilance in the vineyards gave way to a spectacular, sun-drenched summer and an exceptionally dry autumn. This ideal late-season weather allowed the grapes to achieve perfect phenolic ripeness with small, highly concentrated berries. Sourced primarily from historic plots outside the main l'Enclos—such as Petit Batailley and Sainte-Anne—alongside select parcels of younger vines from the estate's core, this wine possesses the depth and gravitas of a classified growth. It was aged with meticulous precision in French oak barrels, of which approximately 60% were new, resulting in a beautifully structured, seamless expression of Pauillac's gravel-rich terroir.
🍾 About the Producer
Dating to 1331 with the construction of its historic fortified tower, Château Latour stands as one of the definitive Premier Grand Cru Classé estates in Pauillac, Bordeaux. Positioned along the Gironde estuary on deep Günzian gravel ridges underlain by dense clay and marl, Latour enjoys a moderating maritime microclimate that shields vines from extreme frost and fosters optimum Cabernet Sauvignon ripening. Under François Pinault’s Artémis Domaines and the rigorous direction of Frédéric Engerer, the estate achieved full Ecocert organic certification alongside extensive biodynamic vineyard practices, even utilizing draft horses across its historic 47-hectare walled parcel, l’Enclos. Vinification occurs parcel by parcel in thermo-regulated stainless steel before long maturation in fine-grained French oak. Château Latour is celebrated globally for yielding profound, sovereign, and intensely structured red wines endowed with monumental aging capability. Its benchmark portfolio includes the legendary Grand Vin, the distinguished second wine Les Forts de Latour, and the approachable Le Pauillac de Château Latour.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon (approx 70%), Merlot, Petit Verdot
🍷 ABV
14.5%