2016 Chateau Latour Les Forts de Latour

The Château Latour is one of the most famous wine estates in the world. It is located in the Bordeaux in Pauillac. It is located on the border with the Saint-Julien wine region. Château Latour is classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé according to the Bordeaux wine classification system of 1855. The estate covers 60 hectares and approximately 78% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot and a little cabernet franc and petit verdot are cultivated.

Les Forts de Latour owes its name to a historic plot in the «Enclos». The wine was first labeled with this name in 1966 and constant work to develop quality has resulted in reaching the level of a Médoc Grand Cru Classé. It is the 2nd wine of Chateau Latour.

Les Forts de Latour is produced with the same meticulous care as the Grand Vin, both in the vineyard and in the winery. The only noticeable difference, apart from the origin of the grapes, is the proportion of new barrels (50 to 60%) used in the maturation phase and the Forts has a larger proportion of Merlot, which among other things ensures that the wine is ready to drink a little earlier than the big (more expensive) brother.

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot. Beautiful dark colored in the glass with an intense crimson hue. Aromatic, very pure and seductive in the nose with ripe red and black fruit, delicious notes of cocoa and tobacco and a hint of citrus zest. Juicy, with a powerful mouthfeel and plenty of tension in the mid-palate leading to a lingering, long finish.

2016 is a remarkable vintage that you will soon forget, with wines that show extraordinary purity and concentration. A mild, wet winter combined with coolness in March led to bud break for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon at the end of March. Nice and warm weather in early May accelerated vegetative growth. Stormy conditions in the second half of that month increased the disease pressure. The first week of June was dry with temperatures between 20-25°C and this ensured flowering - the Merlot vines were in mid-flower on June 6. July was exceptionally hot and dry but soil water reserves enabled the vines to withstand these extreme weather conditions. September was sunny and warm, but just as the first signs of hydric and thermal stress started to show, 35mm of rain provided some relief for the vines, allowing the grapes to continue ripening in optimal conditions.

The harvest took place in ideal weather conditions from September 22 to 30 for Merlot and from October 7 to 19 for Cabernet Sauvignon.