Robert Parker: Wine Advocate # 188. Apr 2010. Reviewer : Robert Parker. Perhaps the finest example ever made (including the extraordinary 1982) of Les Forts de Latour, the 2009 (61.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32.3% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot) is nearly as potent as the Pauillac at 13.5% alcohol. An opaque purple color is followed by notes of black fruits, crushed rocks, spring flowers, and hints of blackberries and smoke. Prodigiously rich and thick with an amazingly long finish of 50 seconds, this astonishing second wine will undoubtedly put on weight before bottling, and should last for 25-30 years. (Tasted once.). Drink: 2010 - 2040.
Wine Spectator: Updated: April 15, 2010. Violet and mineral, with hints of blackberry and blueberry on the nose. Full-bodied, with superreserved and refined tannins, yet dense and very impressive. Long and racy. Lasts for minutes. Second wine of Latour. —J.S.
Stephen Tanzer: May/Jun 10. By Ian D'Agata. (65% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 2% petit verdot and 1% cabernet franc; 13.5% alcohol; 80 IPT; roughly 46% of the total crop) Ruby purple. Perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, sweet plum, milk chocolate and toasty oak are very forward and bright. Sweet and quite rich on entry, this pliant wine has barely noticeable tannins supporting sweet, ripe red cherry and plum flavors. Finishes velvety and long. This is one of the most flattering and charming versions of Les Forts de Latour I can recall. Readers take note that Latour's third wine, simply labelled Pauillac, is also very successful in '09.
Decanter: Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, 18 pts - "Black red, great fragrance and precision on the nose, great depth of fruit and superb vineyard expression, ripeness, energy and grip over perfect tannins, very good indeed. Drink 2015-25.
Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, (March 2010), 17.5-18.5+/20pts -"The second wine of Latour. Cabernet Sauvignon 65.1%, Merlot 32.3%, Cabernet Franc 0.6%, Petit Verdot 1.9%. Alcohol 13.5%, IPT 80, 45.9% of the harvest. A darker hue, a concentrated cherry red. A sweet and lightly creamed character to the fruit on the nose, with a suggestion of deeper substance too, a savoury meatiness behind the sweet fruit. Beautifully creamed fruit as the nose suggested on the palate, broad and impressive, with bold tannins and finely judged texture. Good lifting acidity too. Wonderful composition, very fine breadth and persistence. Beautiful tingling acidity from the start. Svelte and very serious tannins. A very good second wine, showing a very seductive style."
Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, 91-93pts - "Tasted at the château, a blend of 65.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32.3% Merlot, 0.6% Cabernet Franc and 1.9% Petit Vedot, this Les Forts de Latour sports a deep garnet core. The nose is very well defined, very graceful, very well defined, not as opulent as previous vintage, but imbued with a sense of natural clarity and pellucidity. The palate is medium-bodied with real intensity and focus of fruit, much more minerality coming through than in previous vintages. Lovely, cedar infused finish with just a hint of tobacco. A much more graceful Les Fort de Latour. Very alluring. Tasted March 2010."
Tim Atkin, www.timatkin.com, 94 pts - "If this is the quality of what they excluded from the grand vin at Latour in 2009, you can see why the top wine is so stunning. Cherry, blackberry and cedar wood on the nose lead in to a muscular, yet sinewy palate with lots of tannin supported by coffee bean oak and layer upon layer of fruit concentration. A brilliant second wine. 20+ years."
Vinification: After harvest there is a rigorous selection in the new chai, before the grapes are destemmed prior to fermentation, with separate tanks for the numerous aliquots of wine, divided up according to plot of origin, age of vine and naturally grape variety. Then a three week cuvaison followed by malolactic in vats, prior to selection of the vats for the grand vin. This is Chateau Latour, which is typically 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, although naturally this can vary greatly depending on the vintage. There are perhaps 18000 cases of the grand vin produced each year (again very variable). The next cuvée in the Latour line-up is Les Forts de Latour, introduced in 1966, and typically 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, of which there are perhaps 11000 cases produced each year. Although often referred to as a second wine this description is not wholly appropriate, as the wine tends to be sourced from the same vines outside L'Enclos every year; as such it is a distinctive wine, made from a recognised and delimited set of vines on a distinctive terroir, rather than purely a vessel for rejected fruit.
