Chateau Latour - Les Forts de Latour 2016

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. Try after 2024."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

DECANTER: "Violet scented dark black cherries and figs on the nose, quite powerful. Tannins are generous but they're juicy and plump, soft almost chalky, they have a really great impact, filling the mouth together with the fruit. Everything has melded together, super balanced and all very harmonious - still clearly powerful with precision and sculpting of the fruit and a long finish with the flavours going on and on. Good acidity gives freshness and a real rush of strawberry and cherry juice on the first sip lifts and sustains the palate the whole way. Such a charming wine with great impact and presence. Drinking Window 2021 - 2030"

JEB DUNNUCK: "The winner of the best second wine in the vintage goes to Château Latour. Their 2016 Les Forts de Latour is a match for just about anything out there. It shares its bigger siblings stature and class, with a sensational perfume of cedarwood, black currants, graphite, and lead pencil. Seamless, ultra-pure, and medium to full-bodied, it too needs a good 5-7 years of bottle age and will keep for 2-3 decades."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "94–96. Barrel Sample. This is a great wine, with superb tannins and rich fruit flavors that are in balance. Made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, the palate is dominated by black-currant flavor and a pleasant structure from the very fine tannins."

WEINWISSER: "Dichtes Purpurgranat mit violettem Rand. Komplexes, blaubeeriges Bouquet mit viel Heidelbeere und Brombeere, dahinter Kokos und Schokonoten. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit guter Rasse und Statur, enorm saftig mit schwarzen Johannisbeeren sowie Holunderdrops. Im sehr langanhaltenden Finale endet er mit einer feinen, Frische verleihenden Adstringenz – dieses Jahr ein grosser «kleiner Latour»."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart tabakig-kräuterwürzig unterlegte schwarze Beerenfrucht, Nuancen von Edelholz, zart nach Cassis, rauchige Würze. Komplex, straffer Körper, angenehme Extraktsüße, präsente, tragende Tannine, mineralisch im Abgang, gute Länge, mittlere Komplexität, bleibt haften, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Dark and lustrous. High toned and interesting. Rich and layered. Lots of detail. Complete. Very Pauillac. Not heavy. Pretty dry end."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Regal, fresh, lively and with sweet, red fruits, hints of citrus, tobacco, earth and flowers, this is soft, vibrant and already showing its potential. This is classic in style, in all the right ways with juicy, crisp fruit, the structure to age and a tanninc backbone. Give this five to eight more years before popping a cork."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A bit fleshier and more caressing than a typical Pauillac, this has flavors of warm fig, currant and blackberry preserves inlaid with charcoal and smoldering tobacco notes. There's grip for sure and a twinge of warm cast iron on the finish, but the fruit detail keeps the upper hand throughout, showcasing the purity on the finish. Very, very solid. Best from 2023 through 2035."