1996 Les Forts de Latour
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Tasting notes
The 1996 Les Forts de Latour has a deep garnet color with just a thin rim of bricking on the rim. The bouquet is fully mature but demonstrated good fruit concentration after 20 years, mulberry, red plum, plenty of cloves and an almost garrigue-like scent. The palate does not quite have the charm of the nose, the tannins a little brusque and perhaps compared to this deuxième vin nowadays, without the finesse and then it just tapers towards a cedar-infused finish. Drink bottles now and over the next 10 years. Tasted July 2016.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Very deep crimson with hardly any age at the rim. Mellow, scented nose and very sweet on the palate. No excess tannins at all, just very fine bone structure and good refined flesh in between. Rather a biddable Forts that is lighter and friendlier than many. Even a certain delicacy...! Tannins hidden on the finish. (JR)
Ruby with rust at the rim. Quite delicate on the nose, even a little fragile. Completely evolved. Very earthy/mineral on the nose with even a hint of leafiness. Brisk and transparent and already beautifully balanced. Classic and very long. Succulent. Though skinnier than 1995. Engerer wishes he had picked later and sorted more. (JR)
Mature rim. Real lift – and then quite delicate. A good package that is just becoming ready to drink. Far from a blockbuster but great balance and grace – not words I would necessarily expect to write about Les Forts. The most popular of this flight – quite rightly. (Second Wine) (JR)
About the producer
One of Bordeaux’s five First Growths, as classified in 1855, Ch. Latour is among the most famous addresses in Pauillac and the world. The estate is renowned for its long-ageing, powerful and structured wines.