Les Forts de Latour Second Vin 1996

Lot presentation

Les Forts de Latour Second Vin 1996

The wine

Château Latour's second wine, is made from grapes harvested from plots at Latour whose vines are less than eight years old. Many people do not consider it to be a "second" wine, but rather a wine in its own right, with the level of a fifth or even fourth cru classé. Its imposing tannic structure requires it to be cellared for many years to completely soften. A very distinguished wine.

The vineyard at Château Latour is one of the oldest in Médoc having been established around 1680. Located 50 km north-west of Bordeaux and just 300 metres from the Gironde estuary, the estate covers 96.5 hectares – divided between the historic Enclos terroir at the heart of the property (which amounts to 47 hectares) and the remaining 49.5 hectares outside of it. The vine primarily consist of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), followed by Merlot (22%) as well as a healthy sprinkling of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc (2%). Planting density is high, with an average of 9,000 vines per hectare and a total of almost 800,000 vines. For the past twenty years or so, the château has worked to reduce the use of plant protection agents and became certified as organic in 2015.
As for the vinification process, the grapes are first destemmed and then crushed before being put into vats for a three-week fermentation period. Malolactic fermentation takes place after the wine has been transferred into new, clean vats or barrels to separate this liquid gold from the grape pomace (which will later be pressed to produce the press wine, itself eventually added to the final blend). Maturation takes place in French oak barrels, 100% new French oak for Le Grand Vin, 50% for Les Forts de Latour and 20% for Pauillac wines.
The château no longer participates in the annual En Primeur campaign and the Pauillac wine is released onto the market after 4-6 years, Les Forts de Latour after 6-8 years and the grand vin after 8-10 years.