Château Latour Les Forts de Latour 2019

The 2019 Les Forts de Latour is a powerhouse. Dark and ample in the glass, the Forts de Latour shows all of its natural breadth in 2019, but amplified to a considerable degree. The 2019 is an especially somber Forts endowed with tons of richness as well as structure. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol, chocolate and licorice build into the substantial finish. The 2019 is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine.

The 2019 Les Forts de Latour appears to have tightened up a little since I last tasted it a few years ago. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet cassis fruit mingled with hints of cedar, iris, orange zest and new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, lively and nicely concentrated, with a ripe core of fruit underpinned by chalky structuring tannins. While it's approachable after a decant, it certainly merits additional patience. As readers will remember, this bottling mostly derives from dedicated parcels located further inland from Latour's famous "Enclos," next to Château Haut-Batailley.

The 2019 Les Forts De Latour is more open, expressive, and complex, with a medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific aromatics of ripe currants, leather, graphite, and cedary spice. I love its overall purity, and it has fabulous balance and outstanding length. Coming from slightly less ideal parcels (those farther from the Gironde estuary), it doesn't have the density of the 2020 or 2022 but shines for its overall equilibrium and elegance, while still bringing some solid Pauillac power.