Les Forts de Latour 2018

Characteristics and tasting notes for Les Forts de Latour 2018

Tasting

Appearance
The wine displays a deep garnet-purple hue, almost black at the core, highlighted by subtle violet glints.

Nose
The nose opens with intense aromas of black fruit such as blackcurrant and wild blueberry. With aeration, it reveals great complexity, combining floral notes of violet, spicy hints of cinnamon and noble oak reminiscent of cedar and cigar box, rounded off by delicate mineral nuances.

Palate
The palate is broad, rich and multidimensional, true to the structured style of the appellation. It is built on firm yet beautifully ripe tannins that lend it a refined texture. The whole is supported by lovely freshness, which carries the wine through to a remarkably long finish of great fruit purity.

Food and wine pairings

Les Forts de Latour pairs beautifully with grilled red meats such as rib of beef, game in sauce such as venison stew, and slow-cooked dishes such as confit shoulder of lamb. It will also make an excellent match for aged hard cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

To fully enjoy this 2018 vintage, serve it at 16°C after decanting for one to two hours. With its imposing structure, this wine has great ageing potential and can be cellared until at least 2050.

An elegant and profound Pauillac second wine

The estate

The history of Château Latour began in 1331 with the construction of a fortified tower. Located in the heart of the Bordeaux region, this legendary 1855 Premier Grand Cru Classé embodies absolute excellence. Acquired in 1993 by François Pinault, the estate is now managed by Artémis Domaines. Under the leadership of its current owner and its director Frédéric Engerer, the estate stands out for its bold decisions, such as withdrawing from en primeur sales and converting entirely to organic farming, thus asserting an identity rooted in respect for the terroir and the pursuit of perfection.

The vineyard

The vineyard covers 96.5 hectares in the south of the Pauillac appellation, benefiting from a microclimate moderated by the nearby Gironde estuary. Farmed organically and tended with biodynamic practices, including horse ploughing, the vines thrive on deep gravel mounds. The grapes for this second wine come from the edges of the historic Enclos as well as from prestigious outlying plots, where the vines have an average age of around forty years.

The vintage

2018 was a warm vintage, with particularly favourable weather conditions that allowed the grapes to reach exceptional levels of ripeness.

Winemaking and ageing

The grapes undergo a rigorous selection before careful vinification designed to preserve the expression of the fruit and the terroir. Les Forts de Latour 2018 is then aged exclusively in French oak barrels, 60% of them new, to enrich the aromatic palette and soften the powerful tannic structure.

Grape varieties

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65.6%), Merlot (34%) and Petit Verdot (0.4%).