Les Forts de Latour 2017 750ml

Les Forts de Latour is the second wine of Château Latour, the Pauillac first growth, drawn from dedicated plots outside the famous Enclos along with younger Enclos vines. Since Latour left the en primeur system, it releases wines only when it judges them ready, so the 2017 arrived with several years of bottle age behind it. Decanter described it as "refined and polished," with raspberry, blueberry, graphite and slate over dense, chalky tannins, while James Suckling noted juicy redcurrant, fresh tobacco and crushed stone. A classic, fresher-styled Pauillac vintage, it is approachable now and should age gracefully for 15 years or more.