Les Forts de Latour
⏳ Drinking Window
2015 - 2040
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb, prime rib of beef, roasted duck
✨ Technical Specifications
First officially released with the 1966 vintage, Les Forts de Latour is widely regarded as one of the finest second wines in Bordeaux, often rivaling classified growths in its own right. Rather than being a simple selection of lesser vats, Les Forts is sourced from dedicated plots outside the historic 'l'Enclos' vineyard, including Petit Batailley and Sainte-Anne, as well as young vines from the estate's core. Its name evokes the historic fortified tower that guarded the estate during the Hundred Years' War. Crafted with the same uncompromising standards as the Grand Vin, it undergoes aging in French oak barrels (typically 50% to 60% new) to develop its signature Pauillac structure, marked by intense black fruit, cedar, and refined tannins.
🍾 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 60-70%, Merlot 30-40%
🍷 ABV
13-13.5%