2009 Les Forts de Latour Bordeaux Blend

Bordeaux Blend - 750ML
Reg: $375.00
$299.94
In Stock: 0 btls
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ETA: Mar. 2025
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REVIEWS

JS 96 WA 95 WE 95 JL 94 NM 93 WS 93
JS 96

jamessuckling.com, March 2019

Deep and dark with a ton of smoke and earth, the cassis fruit very much in the background, this is a concentrated and complex wine. Powerful yet racy palate with an elegant mineral finish. Drink or hold.
WA 95

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, March 2019

The deep garnet colored 2009 Les Forts de Latour springs forth with minted chocolate, blackberry pie, sweaty leather and cast iron pan notes with hints of bay leaves and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied and laden...
WE 95

Wine Enthusiast, February 2012

Mint aromas hint at the wood but more important is the massive Merlot fruit that is an essential element in the blend. The result is a wine that blends richness and power with an initially severe character. Slowly it...
JL 94

TheWineCellarInsider.com, September 2019

Smoke, tobacco, cigar box, earth and red fruit notes create the nose. It is easy to discern the level of fruit and maturity in the nose. On the palate, the wine offers freshness, ripe, dark red fruits, tobacco leaf, spice...
NM 93

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, July 2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Les Forts de Latour has a very fragrant, floral bouquet with lifted blackberry, raspberry cheesecake, vanilla and graphite on the nose. The palate is full-bodied with...
WS 93

Wine Spectator, March 2012

This has purity and precision with mouthwatering blackberry black currant and steeped plum fruit racing along nicely laced with graphite and studded with enticing ganache and iron notes through the finish. Sleek but the...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Bordeaux Blend
Country France
Region Bordeaux
Sub-region Pauillac
Vintage 2009
Size 750ML
Percent alcohol 14%
Closure Cork

Chateau Latour, one of Bordeaux’s oldest and most famous wine producers, is a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. It’s located in Pauillac near the border with Saint-Julien.

Vines have existed on the property since the 14th century, but Chateau Latour first began producing wines of great quality in the early eighteenth century. The estate gradually came to specialize in wine production, with 38 hectares of vines in 1759 and 47 hectares in 1794.

The vineyard currently has 78 hectares in production. The grapes from the 47 hectares surrounding the chateau, known as “L’Enclos”, are used in the production of the Grand Vin. The 30 hectares outside of the Enclos are used for the Forts de Latour and the Pauillac wines. The estate is planted with about 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot on gravelly hilltops and clay subsoil.

The 2009 Les Forts de Latour, a Bordeaux Blend originating from the eminent region of Bordeaux, France, is a red wine of unparalleled complexity and depth. It hails from the sub-region of Pauillac, a locale renowned for its production of high-quality, full-bodied reds. This particular wine, produced by Les Forts de Latour, is no exception.

Upon first glance, the wine presents a deep garnet color, indicative of its intensity and concentration. The closure is a traditional cork, preserving the 14.0% alcohol content and maintaining the integrity of the wine.

On the nose, this Les Forts de Latour offers a harmonious balance of minted chocolate and blackberry pie, intertwined with the intriguing aromas of sweaty leather and cast-iron pan. Hints of bay leaves and unsmoked cigars add to the olfactory tapestry, creating an alluring and invigorating bouquet.

Upon tasting, its medium to full-bodied profile is immediately apparent, laden with muscular black fruit preserves and savory layers. Its firm, grainy frame is complemented by a lovely freshness, culminating in a finish with a subtly minty kick.

Notably, its complexity is not limited to its flavors. Its texture is equally remarkable, with silky tannins that result in a wine that is both powerful and racy, yet elegant and balanced. Notably, the palate reveals a concentrated and complex wine, with a pleasingly spicy twist, notes of both red and black fruits, black pepper, and a hint of lead pencil.

The 2009 Les Forts de Latour has received a wealth of acclaim from esteemed wine critics. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and James Suckling awarded it a score of 95 and 96, respectively, while John Sweeney from JJ Buckley describes it as an 'exceptionally complex' wine. Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, too, commend its purity, precision and opulent blackberry jam flavors.

In sum, the 2009 Les Forts de Latour is a sophisticated, vibrant, and well-rounded Bordeaux blend, worth savoring in good company. It is a wine that truly encapsulates the elegance and intensity that the Bordeaux region is renowned for.