New Release: Château Latour 2015 & Les Forts de Latour 2017
This month sees the much anticipated new releases from Château Latour, coming direct from their cellars. This is a fantastic opportunity to secure cases of one of the best scoring wines in recent history from the illustrious First Growth in Pauillac.
The 2015 vintage “delivers an exceptional Château Latour” (JA) and is the fourth release of the Grand Vin since the Château left the en primeur system in 2012. This move set the estate apart from the other First Growths, choosing to release their wine only once they deem it ready to drink. This unique stance that they have taken allows consumers to buy wine with perfect provenance, direct from the Château’s cellar.
Perhaps inevitably the focus of this release will be on the Grand Vin, but not to be overlooked is also the highly acclaimed ‘second wine’ Les Forts de Latour 2017. The cuvée was first created in 1966 and is now regarded as a great wine in its own right and certainly worthy of Classified Growth status. Unlike other second wines, the grapes that produce Les Forts de Latour always come from a distinct location on the estate rather than simply being not worthy of inclusion in the Grand Vin itself.
This is the first time these wines have been released to the market and demand will be high. Please register your interest below if you are interested in securing an allocation and we will do our best to fulfil your order.
Register your interest to receive an allocation
Tasting Notes – Château Latour 2015
98 Points – Jane Anson (February 2023)
“Aromatically this floats out of the glass, intense and concentrated but full of light and life. Waves of flavour come at you, from crushed raspberries, pomegrante and blackcurrant to fresher redcurrant and lemongrass set against richer truffles, crayon and smoked earth. Mouthwatering, this really is a vintage where you can see the impact of the biodynamic vineyard work, with a greater sense of sculpting and violet florality than you would have found in this Pauillac powerhouse a decade earlier, without sacrificing structure and depth. As it opens, the sweetness of a ripe vintage comes through in edges of smoked caramel. A beautiful wine, thoroughly enjoyable, extremely well-handled and set to power through the decades. Harvest September 15 to October 10, 30% of production in the main wine. Hélène Genin technical director.”
98 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown (March 2023)
“The 2015 Château Latour is a blend of 97.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.6% Merlot, and 0.3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it requires a considerable amount of shaking to wake up the nose of plum preserves, warm cassis, and black cherry compote, giving way to exotic nuances of licorice, sandalwood, rose oil, and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate slowly expands in the mouth to reveal opulent notes of exotic spices, black fruit preserves, and floral accents, leading to a compelling minerally undercurrent. Wonderfully taut, firm, grainy-textured tannins and tantalizing acidity lend gravitas to all this flamboyant fruit, delivering a very long and fragrant finish.”
Tasting Notes – Les Forts de Latour 2017
94 Points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown (March 2023)
“A blend of 65.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 0.8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Les Forts de Latour has a medium to deep garnet color with a lingering hint of purple. It prances out of the glass with fragrant scents of black raspberries, mulberries, and black currant pastilles, leading to suggestions of lilacs, iron ore, fragrant earth, and black truffles, plus a waft of fallen leaves. The palate delivers an elegantly styled, medium body with fantastically ripe, ever so fine-grained tannins and beautiful tension supporting the intense black and red berry layers, finishing with impressive length and loads of mineral and floral sparks.”
