Les Forts de Latour

This wine pairs beautifully with classic Bordeaux accompaniments such as roast lamb, beef Wellington, duck breast, or aged hard cheeses like Comté and Gruyère.

The vineyards lie at the southern edge of the Pauillac appellation, with deep gravel soils that are well-drained and contribute to concentrated, structured wines. Grapes for Les Forts de Latour are sourced from plots outside the famed Enclos as well as young vines within it, farmed with the same rigorous viticultural practices as the Grand Vin, including strict green harvesting, leaf-thinning, and manual picking.

The 2012 Les Forts de Latour was matured in 50 to 60% new French oak barrels for around 16 to 18 months before bottling, imparting subtle structure without overpowering the fruit character.

The fruit is sorted by hand and vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Fermentation is followed by maceration and malolactic conversion in vats before being transferred to oak barrels. Indigenous yeasts are typically employed, and the winemaking mirrors that of the Grand Vin, ensuring precision and consistency.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century Chateau Latour started to be highly recognized around the world thanks to the reconquest of the British market and the development of the wine business in Northern Europe. The aristocracy and other wealthy groups of consumers became very enthusiastic about a few great estates of which Latour was one. And that was how Thomas Jefferson ambassador of the United States in France and future President discovered this wine in 1787. At that time a cask of Chateau Latour was already worth twenty times as much as one of ordinary Bordeaux wine. The reputation of Chateau Latour was consolidated during the 19th century. It was confirmed in 1855 when the government of Napoléon III decided to classify the growths of the Médoc and the Graves for the International Exhibition in Paris: Chateau Latour was classified as a First Growth. The existing chateau was built during this Golden Age between 1862 and 1864.