Les Forts de Latour: 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009

Second wines of top Bordeaux estates in the great 2009 vintage are going to be something for any wine aficionado to focus on. They will offer many of the same characteristics of the first wines at a lower price and just slightly lower quality.

Take the case of the second wine of famous first growth Chateau Latour: Les Forts de Latour. It’s not really a second wine because it comes from a specific part of the Latour vineyard, but most people consider it a deuxième vin. It’s always top class and rivals a number of second growths.

Check out this video I did just before the harvest in 2010. The wines are the same today, with the exception of the 2009, which is now in bottle. I did the tasting in the video with Latour president Frederic Engerer. All the wines are scored out of 100 points.

2000 Les Fort de Latour: Starting to open now. Shows blueberry, raspberry, and other dark berry character. Licorice. Round and delicious. Start drinking. 94

2003 Les Fort de Latour: Riper than 2000 with sultanas and plums. It’s full with ripe tannins and a juicy finish. Be patient. Try in a year or two. 93

2005 Les Fort de Latour: Very classy with plenty of raspberry, currant, and licorice character. This is dense and compacted on the palate. Leave it for at least two or three years from now. 94

2009 Les Fort de Latour: This was a barrel sample and I just tasted it from bottle a few weeks ago. It shows just like it did then. The best Les Forts ever? The richness of the 2003 but the class of the 2005. 94-95