Les Forts de Latour Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend

Refer to previous Delectable note. Drank this last Sunday. I made notes and lost them with the Spanish Tempranillo notes. Very solid with a long life in front of it. The 2nd of 6 bottles.

Delicious old Bordeaux drunk at the perfect moment. Cassis, ancho chile, blackberry.

HBTM! 🥳 🎉🎂 🎈

WOTN!

Still fresh & youthful. Perfect. Great fill. Still peaking.

Bramble, nicely, fresh fruits of; blackberries, creamy, black raspberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, hints of blueberries, poached to dry strawberries. Lead pencil for days, dry tobacco, used leather, liquid herbaceous notes, volcanic & limestone marl & grey clay, eucalyptus/pine tar, black licorice, dark spice, touch of black pepper, mushroom, light baking spices, dry top soil, dry river stone, dry stem, well done toast, dry & withering; dark, red, some blue florals framed in lavender & violets, perfect acidity and extremely well; balanced, structured, tensioned, balanced, smarty polished finish that last several minutes finish.

Photos of; Latour and their vine close to the D2, entrance to Chatesu Latour and their barrel room. The cleanest cellar I’ve seen and I have seen most of the wine world.

It’s just the left side of the bell curve. Stored correctly it has another 10 plus years of good drinking.

Robert Parker launched his career calling this vintage correctly upon release when others were not.

A hearty and rich Forts, could bluff its way to a 1st growth blind. Consensus was this needed more time but decanting a few hours brought out sweet layers of cedar and dark red berry. Monster nose.

Had this in an early stage. Dark w/ lots of black licorice. Completely different wine tonight. This is what I look for by waiting on wine.

The nose shows floral, ripe, bright, slightly candied fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums, poached to baked strawberries, raspberries, powdery lead pencil, dark, rich forest floor w/ leaves, dark & mid spices, black licorice, mixed berry cola, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanillin, soft leather, fresh tobacco, dry, crushed limestone, river stone, dark, red, blue florals framed in violets.

The mouthfeel is gorgeous. The palate shows its relationship w/ its big brother. The length & balance are excellent. Integration is finally showing like a non stubborn 2000 or one that is finally ready. Floral, ripe, bright, slightly candied fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums, poached to baked strawberries, raspberries, powdery lead pencil, dark, rich forest floor w/ leaves, dark & mid spices, black licorice, mixed berry cola for days, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanillin, soft leather, fresh tobacco, dry, crushed limestone, moist grey clay, river stone, dark, red, blue florals soaked in violets. The acidity is full warm spring day. The well knitted & balanced finish stuns. Starts fruit forward, cola that fall onto earthy perfection.

Elegant, complex wine candy w/ a 3 1/2 hour decant.

Cheers to the King of steak - Allen Brothers & the King of Cabernet - Latour.

Wine No. 7 in the lineup of 8 Cabernets tasted blind and ranked #2 by the consensus of tasters was the Les Forts. Dark brooding and masculine as Latour generally is. Some sweetness to the full bodied palate. Very persistent tannins. You could happily drink this now or in 20 years time. The Grand Vin of Latour for 2009 has been described as a 100 Year wine. A classic Pauillac Cabernet from a good year.

If I am having an Allen Brothers Ribcap, I am also opening a good bottle of Bordeaux.

The 08 Bordeaux vintage goes down in the record books as good not great. This is not nearly as good as the 2000 I had a few years back...one of the few 10’s I’ve scored since starting to write notes. However, it does drink better earlier than 2000.

Ten years in bottle was just the right amount of time to check in on this 08. It will continue to improve over the next 5-7 years and hold another 8-10 years with proper storage.

With the first sip, it was elegant, refined and showing it is Latour’s close relative. My next thought was how good it will be with the Ribcap. Good on its own but, even better with steak.

It shows classic Bordeaux style. Just ripe fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, plum, dark cherries, hints of blue & purple fruit. The tannins nicely round and velvety. The structure, tension, length & balance are just starting to hit their groove. Black licorice, black tea, stones, dry loamy topsoil, dark rich earth, less pencil shaving, soft leather, understated baking spices with withering; dark, red and blue florals. The acidity was nicely executed. The finish is; stunning, elegant and very well balanced with excellent persistence.

Photos of; Chateau Latour, iconic building that since in the middle of their Estate vines, barrel room and wide shot of their estate.

Side note. Having visited Latour three times, it has always been the most clean & pristine winemaking facilities I’ve seen in my many world wine region travels. You could eat off the floor. For me, they are the “King of Kings” in Cabernet.

Drank the whole bottle. Still in mid-life but has the seamless integration I look for after 25 years. Sadly my last bottle.

I love this second wine of Latour and the 2009 is outstanding.

The nose shows, brightly floral, ripe and slightly stewed fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, strawberries, black raspberries & haunting blueberries on the high nose. Beautiful, soft, dark spices, leather, graphite, light tobacco, red licorice, dry brush, limestone, dart crushed rocks, anise to black licorice, coffee, steeped tea, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick with brightly floral; red, dark, blue flowers with violets & hints of lavender.

The body is just full, round, silky and shows the astounding beauty & elegance of 2009. The structure, tension, length and balance are nicely knitted together. Brightly floral, ripe and slightly stewed fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, strawberries, black raspberries & haunting blueberries. Beautiful, soft, dark spices, leather, graphite, light tobacco, red licorice, dry brush, limestone, dart crushed rocks, rich, dark, moist earth, anise to black licorice, coffee, steeped tea, herbal notes, eucalyptus, saline, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick with brightly floral; red, dark, blue flowers with violets & hints of lavender. The acidity is dead on. The finish dances on the palate. It is perfectly balanced and elegant as hell. Just misses 9.5. If I had a whole bottle, it would get elevated. This wine in another 10 plus years to 35 years of age will stun.

Photos of; Chateau Latour, stainless tanks, library room that I would love to raid and barrel room.

Stellar bottle of wine but definitely overshadowed by the other wines that night.