2007 Les Forts de Latour

Estate manager Frederic Engerer, under whose direction Chateau Latour has been on a hot streak in recent years, described vintage 2007 as his "first solo vinification," having fired his technical director prior to the harvest. As in past years, this tireless perfectionist was still thinking about how he could have made an even better wine. "We didn't have dilution in 2007 but we didn't have thick skins either, and the fruit lacked complexity of aromas and density," Engerer noted. "I wanted to retain the fruit expressiveness, and the danger in making the wine was to get everything at the front of the palate. I did not vinify for structure because it's not a structured vintage." While Engerer is confident that he took the correct approach, his doubt had to do with the quality of the press wine, which was so good and supple that he wondered if he had underextracted. In fact, Engerer has added 16% press wine to the blend (the highest percentage since 1999), compared to a more typical 5% or 6%, and the press wine has contributed body. "The quality of the press proved that the raw material in 2007 was ripe," he said. "Perhaps I could have extracted even more." The good news, Engerer added, is that the 2007 will be cheaper and more accessible early than last year's wine. "Like the 1999, the 2007 was born like a baby with a big smile," which will come as welcome tidings to collectors who don't like to wait 20 years for their first growths to come around.