2011 Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Tasted blind. Very intense, meaty nose. Dense and ambitious with no shortage of tannin. It’s a bit disjointed and jagged to taste for the moment, but the ingredients are there.Drink 2021 - 2033jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2021)

The 2011 Les Forts de Latour has a high-toned bouquet with black cherries, cedar, pencil lead and a touch of blood orange, like the 2011 Le Petit Mouton, gaining more composure with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grainy tannins, well-judged acidity, and a little compact on the finish, but it will appeal to those looking for "classic Bordeaux". Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Drink 2022 - 2035Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (April 2022)

A wonderful surprise today: the 2011 Les Forts de Latour is terrific. Pliant, silky, and racy 2011 offers considerable suppleness and sheer appeal. Hints of sweet tobacco, herb, liquorice, cloves and leather add aromatic nuance throughout, but the wine's overall balance and feel are most impressive. The 2011 will drink nicely for at least another handful of years. From a pure pleasure perspective, it is the most enjoyable of Latour's three new releases at this stage.I saw Château Latour's 2017 library releases towards the end of my en primeur tastings in April 2016.Drink 2017 - 2026antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (May 2017)

Wonderful aromas of blackberries, Indian spices and currants with hints of dried flowers. Medium body, linear, tight and ultra-fine tannins and a fresh finish. Beautiful now, but this will improve with age.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (March 2018)

The 2011 Les Forts de Latour has a very refined bouquet, understated at first but gaining intensity in the glass with an attractive estuarine tincture developing and complementing the black fruit. Later on, there is a trademark touch of Pauillac mintiness coupled with black olives. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin and very good weight in the mouth, the fruit profile leaning more towards the red side of the spectrum than black. This feels lithe and supple in the mouth, fleshy and generous with a smooth finish that slips down the throat. Enjoy this now and over the next 15-20 years. Tasted March 2017.Neil Martin - 31/05/2017

Lovely fragrance, natural purity and vineyard depth, beautifully made claret - a jewel of a wine.

One of the finest second wines now being made, Les Forts de Latour comes from the same parcel every year. The 2011 is composed of 61.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38.5% Merlot. Forty-three percent of the Latour production was relegated to this cuvee. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by a big, sweet nose of creme de cassis, underbrush, licorice and incense. Medium to full-bodied, deep, fleshy and already appealing, this 2011 should gain complexity over the next 5-7 years, and last for 15-20. By the way, Latour harvested relatively late for the Medoc, beginning the harvest on September 12 and finishing on September 26. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - April 2012

This wine is sleek, velvety, caressing even, with no angles at all, offering pure cherry preserves and floral notes, with a long, cassis-infused finish that expands nicely as this airs. Wine Spectator's 2011 Top-Scoring Red Bordeaux james_molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 5, 2012

The tannins are still young and present, but aromatically, it is beginning to open, and this is a good time to drink this Les Forts - blueberries abound, with a delicious spicy black pepper and rosemary edge. 0.5% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 43% of production in Forts. Harvest September 12 to 26.Drink 2021 - 2045jane_anson_mw, Decanter.com (February 2021)