Very deep purple-black in color, this wine has aromas of creme de cassis, cinnamon toast, dark chocolate and vanilla pod. Medium to full bodied, rich and expressively fruity already, it has a medium to firm level of velvety tannins and a long finish.

Score: 95 Robert Parker (RP), The Wine Advocate (WA), November 2012

The aromas are so floral, with currants and blueberries as well. Succulent. Full and very balanced, with super velvety tannins and a long and lovely finish. Frederic Engerer, president of Latour, uses the word “succulent” to describe it. He’s right. I like the word gorgeous as well. Try in 2018, but hard not to drink.

Score: 95 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, March 2012

2009 had a very hot, dry summer with a little rain in mid to late September. The wines are rich, opulent and generously fruited, approachable when young, though they have the substance to age beautifully. This is no exception. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2009 Les Forts de Latour is very spicy on the nose, strutting star anise, fenugreek and cumin seed notions over a core of crème de cassis, violets, plum preserves and blueberry compote with a waft of camphor. The palate is full-bodied, rich, opulent and wonderfully velvety in the mouth with a very long, multilayered finish.

Score: 96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown (LPB), The Wine Advocate (WA), March 2019

The 2009 Les Forts de Latour is engaging and quite complex on the nose with blackberry, bilberry, hints of brine and freshly rolled tobacco, all very well delineated and gaining vigor with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannin that frame layers of black fruit laced with pencil lead and tobacco, very convincing on the finish that has one of the longest lengths of any Pauillac in this flight. Excellent. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

Score: 96 Neal Martin (NM), Vinous Media (VM), March 2019