Les Forts De Latour 2014 Ex-Chateau (1.5L)

94 JA / 94 JS / 94 DE / 93 VM / 93 WA / 93 WE / 93 JD / 92 WS 

#10 Jane Anson Top 10 Left Bank Wines of 2023

This 2nd wine of Château Latour has got to be one of the all time greatest 2nd wines for consistency and standout power. I could have easily included the 1982 Latour in this WOTY roundup, because I gave it 100 points on two separate occasions this year, but when it comes to searching out younger wines from the Latour stable that offer standout flavours without the price tag, think about looking here. You get plenty of plum pudding, liqourice, chocolate and grilled cinammon spice notes that put us firmly in the celebrating season, and those signature Pauillac cassis and blackberry fruits abound. Make sure you give it time in the glass to fully open up – so sip it slowly, if you can. The epitome of a great 94 point wine. Hélène Genin technical director. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Glorious aromatics with currants, flowers, stones and light mushrooms. Medium to full body and fine tannins that are long and polished. Super linear, structured and long. Drink in 2019. - James Suckling 

The 2014 Les Forts de Latour is one of those wines that deserves an hour to open and then observe it coalescing in the glass. The bouquet is initially high-toned and then mellow to reveal attractive scents of red fruit, cedar and incense. The palate is maybe a more malleable than I anticipated, clearly a Les Forts that is primed for drinking, although there is sufficient depth to suggest that it will give 15 years of pleasure, maybe more. Suave and surprisingly rounded for a 2014, this is a fine late released Deuxième Vin from the First Growth although I uphold my remark in my previous notes that I would have liked more Pauillac DNA. Tasted from ex-château bottle. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

The 2014 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 71.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28.6% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal expanding scents of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums and boysenberries with suggestions of wood smoke, fragrant earth, cast-iron pan and charcuterie plus a faint waft of black truffles. Medium-bodied, the earthy/savory palate has loads of lively black fruit with a refreshing line and firm, grainy tannins, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

Packed with the fruit of the vintage, this wine is bright and crisp. Its acidity and pure black-currant flavors are delicious, juicy, the tannins now sitting easily in the background. The wine, which comes from a specific parcel, is developing well and will be released after 2020. It should be drunk from 2023. — Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

The second wine of the estate is the 2014 Les Forts De Latour and this beauty is better than most estate grand vin. Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, this straight up classic Pauillac is loaded with notions of red and black currants, lead pencil shavings, roasted coffee, graphite, and Asian spices. Deep, medium to full-bodied, impressively concentrated, and layered, it’s a seriously good wine that’s going to continue drinking beautifully for two to three decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

Offers a core of pure cassis and blackberry fruit, with mouthwatering streaks of graphite and anise. Racy-edged, featuring ample grip buried through the finish. Reveals a violet echo for good measure. Textbook. Best from 2018 through 2030. -James Molesworth, Wine Spectator