Les Forts de Latour, Pauillac 2016

The second wine of Château Latour, Les Forts de Latour is no afterthought but a serious Pauillac drawn largely from defined parcels and aged with first-growth rigour. The 2016 vintage, all freshness and fine tannin, suits it beautifully. It offers the grand vin's bearing in a frame that approaches earlier.

Deep ruby-purple, the nose is pure Pauillac restraint: blackcurrant, cedar, pencil lead and a savoury hint of tobacco leaf. The palate is firm and finely drawn, tannins polished, the 2016 acidity lending real cut and lift. Dark berry, graphite and cigar box carry a focused, persistent, classically gravelly finish.