Les Forts de Latour, 2016 Magnum 96 Points 1.5 Liters CA ONLY

Les Forts de Latour is the 2nd Wine of Château Latour, made by the same extraordinary winemaking team as the legendary grand vin. The blend is 71 % cabernet sauvignon, 29 % merlot.

2016 Vintage Report:  2016 is a remarkable vintage, and one which, once tasted, is not easily forgotten. Its wines show extraordinary purity and concentration.  A mild and wet winter coupled with a cool March led to bud break occurring on 24th March for the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon on 30th March. Fine and warm weather early May speeded up vegetative growth, though stormy conditions during the second half of the month increased disease pressure. The first week of June was dry with temperatures between 20-25°C and this brought on the flowering - the Merlot vines were in mid-bloom on 6th June. Further to 28mm of potentially-damaging rainfall during the night of 6th/7th June, the Cabernet Sauvignon followed suit on 7th June. July was exceptionally hot and dry though good soil water reserves enabled the vines to resist these extreme weather conditions. Early August, 8mm of beneficial rain accelerated the ripening process with the Merlot berries changing colour on 10th August and the Cabernet Sauvignon two days later. September was sunny and warm, but just as signs of hydric and thermal stress were becoming noticeable, 35mm of rain provided some relief for the vines so the grapes continued ripening in optimal conditions. Harvest took place in ideal weather from 22nd – 30th September for the Merlot and 7th – 19th October for the Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: Beautiful dark and intense crimson hue. Aromatically very pure and enticing with ripe red and black fruits, delicious cocoa and tobacco notes and a hint of citrus zest. Succulent on the attack with a powerful mouthfeel and great tension mid-palate that leads to a lingering, languorous finish.

96 Points – James Suckling: “The fresh currant and violet aromas are so complex and beautiful on the nose. Full body, ultra-refined tannins and lovely tannin tension. Shows focus and such finesse. Beautiful finish.” 
95 Points – Robert Parker: “The 2016 Les Forts de Latour is superb, unwinding in the glass with notions of blackcurrants, wild berries, sweet loamy soil, cigar wrapper and English walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it’s concentrated and tightly wound, with superb depth at the core, lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins. This is an impeccably balanced, utterly classical Forts de Latour worth a special effort to seek out.”