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17 Rene Gabriel
trinken (2005 - 2016)
90 Wine Spectator
Intense aromas of crushed blackberries and cassis. Full-bodied, with ripe fruit and velvety tannins. Long. Slightly one-dimensional. Needs to develop.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2008. –JS
89 Robert Parker
Latour's second wine, Forts de Latour, is now one of the two or three finest second wines of Bordeaux (Bahans-Haut-Brion and the Clos du Marquis of Leoville Las-Cases are two other personal favorites). The terrific, dark ruby/purple-colored 1995 possesses a sweet, jammy black fruit-scented nose intertwined with smoky minerals, earth, and spicy oak. The wine is surprisingly thick and rich in the mouth, with its glycerin and concentration of fruit largely concealing the moderate tannin. This excellent, sweet wine is less powerful, but more accessible than the 1996. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2015.
Producer
Château Latour
Château Latour is in a unique class of its own, producing some of the most powerful, complex and irresistible wines in Bordeaux. For centuries, Latour has been the greatest First Growth in the Médoc, if not in the entire region, producing the world’s most remarkable reds year after year. Considered the oldest wine producing property in Pauillac, with a history dating back to the 14th century, owners have come and gone over the years leading to 1993, when François Pinault, a French billionaire industrialist bought up the château. Since then, while maintaining Latour’s pursuit for excellence, Pinault has made significant changes, including a complete renovation of the winery, vat room, winemaking facilities and storage areas. He has also built a new tasting room, and redesigned the architecture of the main building, Pinault’s strides for modernization continue to accrue. Today, Château Latour’s talented team, motivated by their quest for perfection in both the vineyard and cellar, craft three wines. Preferring to release their wines after they are bottled, Latour was the first Bordeaux château to withdraw from the En Primeur system, starting with the 2012 vintage. One of the three wines in production, Le Pauillac de Château Latour is a worthy third wine. While Les Forts de Latour is a very impressive second wine. Le Grand Vin is at the pinnacle of Latour’s production, as the Grand Vin, it is a regal, concentrated red that is harmoniously balanced by its sophisticated refinement.