2017 Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux

The 2017 Les Forts de Latour conveys airiness on the nose, reflecting the relatively lightest vintage in recent years. Graphite and sous-bois infuse black fruit, offering a slightly welcome herbaceous/undergrowth tincture. The palate is very well-balanced and will appeal to those seeking a sleeker, lighter style of Pauillac. Not lean by any account, but this Les Fort de Latour is understated, with appealing black pepper and tobacco notes emerging on the finish. Fine.

Drink 2023 - 2040

6.7% press wine. Hélène Genin technical director, harvest September 11 to October 4. Hold 2 years or carafe for 2 hours.

With a floral curl on the first nose, this is an attractive and sappy Forts de Latour with a fine, elegant, almost chalky aspect to the tannins. Thoroughly charming raspberry and blackberry fruit, fresh earth, cocoa powder and slate, with a mouthwatering finish. There is an elegant feel to this, more evolved than in bigger vintages at the six-year stage, although still with clear architecture to the tannins. As you sit with it, you start to realise how carefully it is gripping through the palate and how fine a wine it is. As with many in Pauillac, Latour found the September rains of 2017 challenging, and two of the plots normally used for the main estate wine are in Forts this year.

Drink 2023 - 2038

Showing consistently, the 2017 Les Forts De Latour has a classic cedar pencil, tobacco, and mineral-driven core that certainly has some textbook Château Latour style. It is medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, elegant, and balanced and has fine tannins and outstanding length. It has closed down slightly since I tasted it on release and needs just 2-4 years of bottle age to hit its prime time. It will evolve for 20 years.

Drink 2025 - 2047

Juicy and spicy with fresh tobacco, redcurrants and crushed stone character. Medium to full body. Medium velvety tannins and a delicious finish. Will age beautifully as well.

Better after 2026

Aromas of minty berries, cassis and plums mingle with hints of pencil shavings to introduce the 2017 Les Forts de Latour, a medium to full-bodied, suave and elegant wine with attractive depth and purity of fruit, supple tannins and a bright, precise profile. This is a classy Les Forts that will offer a broad drinking window. As readers will remember, it mostly derives from dedicated parcels located further inland from Latour's famous "Enclos," next to Château Haut-Batailley.

Drink 2025 - 2045

64 PIT, 6.7% press wine. 45.4% production. Harvest 11 September to 4 October. Technical director Hélène Genin. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

It smells lovely, really aromatic and shining out of the glass, forward and expressive with clarity and precision on the nose full of red fruit and floral scents. Sleek and crisp, this has energy and life force. I love the shape and straightforwardness, but the texture is so captivating - slightly firm but dense and chalky tannins give the bounce and cushioning on the palate while the fruit is lean and well-defined. It so well worked and feels careful, controlled, refined and polished. Sophisticated and just so seamless.

Extremely young right now, coiled and tense still, direct from start to finish, it needs to slow down, soften, and relax. Lovely pure and perfumed red fruits, raspberry and blueberries, alongside a slightly sharp, bitter grapefruit edge to the tannins, as well as graphite and slate, linger on the tongue and give the mighty grip that doesn’t let go. Stylish and enjoyable.

Drink 2023 - 2038

Powerful and dark in the glass, the 2017 Les Forts de Latour is super-impressive. Black cherry, plum, spice, chocolate and leather are just some of the many aromas and flavours that flesh out as this ample, heady Pauillac shows off its considerable personality. Medium in body, yet with terrific depth and substance, the Forts de Latour is an absolute winner in 2017.

Drink 2025 - 2042

The 2017 Les Forts de Latour comprises 65.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, and 0.8% Cabernet Franc.

Deep garnet in colour, it comes galloping out with bold notions of warm cassis, blackberry pie, dried roses, and suggestions of crushed rocks, wild sage, and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate is completely filled with delicate waves of bright, refreshing black and red berry layers, supported by super-ripe, super-fine tannins, finishing long and perfumed. This is stunning!

Drink 2022 - 2045

65.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 0.8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. IPT 64. 45.4% of total production.

Very dark with a black core. Extremely pure cassis nose. Tight and dark, and savoury on the palate with dark graphite freshness. Very fine texture, dry but not drying. Paper layers of subtle tannins build density but shoot through with a pure cassis scent. Extremely moreish and fresh. Long and scented on the finish. 

Drink 2027 - 2037