Chateau Latour - Les Forts de Latour 2005

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Granat mit Purpur-Reflexen. Pfeffriges, enges Bouquet. Reifer, feinwürziger Cabernet, schwarze und weisse Pfefferkörner. Im Gaumen wiederum engmaschig, feine, stoffige Textur, Nussnoten im Extrakt, Brombeeren, alles ganz fein und klar ausgerichtet. Ein sehr finessenreicher Les Forts, mehr Affinität zu einem grossen St-Julien denn zu einem ordentlichen Pauillac; sicher kein billiger Wein, gleichwohl ein grossartiger Wert; für alle, die nicht Jahrzehnte lang auf einen reifen Latour warten wollen."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Shows blackberry, coffee, cedar, and raisin on the nose, turning to licorice and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, with refined, silky tannins and a long finish. Balanced and juicy. Builds on the palate, with currant, licorice and mineral character, followed by a powerful finish. An amazing second wine. Best after 2015. 13,330 cases made. — JS"

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2005 Les Forts de Latour is another beautiful wine from this estate. Medium to full-bodied, with a dense ruby/purple color, loads of blackcurrant fruit, earth, and spice, the wine is extremely pure, broad, savory, and quite expensive. This is a fabulous second wine, but in essence, this is really of classified growth quality. Drink it over the next 20+ years."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Produced from blending 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, the wine reached 13.2% alcohol and represents 45% of the production. Ruby in color, with cedar wood, earth, forest and blackberry, the soft, fresh, cassis filled wine is medium bodied and ready for prime time drinking."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Always the equivalent of many classed growths, Les Forts de Latour is hardly a second wine, deriving from a particular parcel of the Latour vineyard. This 2005 is beautifully balanced, with lively fresh acidity, dense tannins and ripe, juicy black fruits. The acidity stays right to the end."