Forts de Latour - Pauillac 2016

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2022

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour has a gorgeous bouquet, extremely pure and floral, veins of blue fruit, cassis permeating the blackberry fruit. The palate is beautifully balanced, again, very saline and a little spicier than I expected. There is a veneer of black fruit that makes it seem quite approachable, yet the tannins and backbone are there behind it. This is a superb Les Forts de Latour. Frédéric Engerer opined that it will drink in two or three years, though its substance and complexity suggests that those with the wherewithal to cellar this Les Fort will be amply rewarded.

Vinous

95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe8/13/2020

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour offers a pure, seductive bouquet of gorgeous, graphite-tinged black fruit, focused and full of tension. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins and good balance and grip. This is a classic, tobacco- and graphite-driven Pauillac with a very persistent finish. There is something regal about this Les Forts de Latour, one of the finest vintages in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe2/5/2020

Jeb DUNNUCK

95 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/1/2019

The winner of the best second wine in the vintage goes to Château Latour. Their 2016 Les Forts de Latour is a match for just about anything out there. It shares its bigger siblings stature and class, with a sensational perfume of cedarwood, black currants, graphite, and lead pencil. Seamless, ultra-pure, and medium to full-bodied, it too needs a good 5-7 years of bottle age and will keep for 2-3 decades.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/5/2019

A bit fleshier and more caressing than a typical Pauillac, this has flavors of warm fig, currant and blackberry preserves inlaid with charcoal and smoldering tobacco notes. There's grip for sure and a twinge of warm cast iron on the finish, but the fruit detail keeps the upper hand throughout, showcasing the purity on the finish. Very, very solid. Best from 2023 through 2035.   –JM

Jamessuckling.com

96 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/4/2019

The fresh currant and violet aromas are so complex and beautiful on the nose. Full body, ultra-refined tannins and lovely tannin tension. Shows focus and such finesse. Beautiful finish. Try after 2024.

Vinous

94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/24/2019

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour is a wine that I remember as lush when I tasted it from barrel. Now in bottle, it has more Pauillac expression on the nose instead of that nascent lushness, offering copious black fruit infused with graphite and a touch of chalk. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, almost symmetrical in terms of balance, and shows beautiful definition toward the finish. This would frankly surpass some of the Grand Vins elsewhere. A wonderful Les Forts de Latour that may improve further with bottle age. 13.5% alcohol.

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe1/21/2019

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour is fabulous. Dark, rich and expansive on the palate, the 2016 Forts boasts superb depth and intensity. Gravel, smoke, sage, grilled herbs, licorice, plum, pencil shavings and crème de cassis all run through the 2016. Readers sh expect a somber, brooding wine that is going to need time to be at its best. Today, the tannins are imposing.

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Les Forts de Latour opens with cinnamon stick, cloves and star anise scents with hints of crème de cassis, kirsch, wild blueberries and hints of black tea and violets. Medium to full-bodied, it has very firm, grainy tannins and is wonderfully intense with layers of bright fruit and loads of red berry sparks, finishing long and minerally. This is a superb showing for Les Forts and I would not be at all surprised if it far exceeds my conservative drinking window estimation!

WeinWisser

18 / 20

the5/22/2017

Dichtes Purpurgranat mit violettem Rand. Kom-plexes, blaubeeriges Bouquet mit viel Heidelbeere und Brombeere, dahinter Kokos und Schokonoten. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit guter Rasse und Statur, enorm saftig mit schwarzen Johannisbeeren sowie Holunderdrops. Im sehr langanhaltenden Finale endet er mit einer feinen, Frische verleihenden Adstringenz – dieses Jahr ein grosser «kleiner Latour».

Bettane & Desseauve

96 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2017

Grand caractère, notes de cèdre et de tabac, minéralité presque plus marquée que dans le Grand Vin (mais avec moins de force et de raffinement de texture), un vin complet.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2017

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 64.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.3% Merlot and 0.4% Cabernet Franc, and it represents 37.5% of production this year. It has a surprisingly opulent bouquet, almost a lushness to it thanks to the power of the Merlot, lending it an almost Right Bank allure (possibly due to one parcel in Artigues being declassified from the Grand Vin into the Les Forts de Latour). The palate is very well balanced with supple tannin. Occasionally this Deuxième Vin can be austere like the Château Latour, but this year I find this to be lithe in the mouth, quite sensual with the structure surfacing towards the graphite tinged finish. The length is very impressive here. It will be interested to see when the estate eventually release this wine. This is a plump 'n lovely Les Forts de Latour!

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/27/2017

Flowery with tobacco, blackberry and spice with an interesting hint of citrus, this is smooth and reserved with a juicy blast of cassis and plum in the finish. Classic but with softness and refinement instead of severity, give this perhaps five to eight more years before popping a cork. 

Vinous

92-95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/26/2017

The 2016 Les Forts de Latour kicks things up a notch. Dark tonalities of red and purplish fruit, along with hints of grilled herbs, rose petal and smoke, give the wine a palpable sense of gravitas and power that plays off the silky, voluptuous fruit. The 2016 is wonderfully complete Forts de Latour. In 2016, Forts de Latour represents 37.5% of the 2016 harvest.

matthewjukes.com

17,5 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/25/2017

(64.3 Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.3 Merlot, 0.4 Cabernet Franc) | 13.5% alc. | IPT 77 | 37.5% of production went into this wine Really long and really fine with some good oak and genuine power, there is some grunt here and some more pagan depth, too, making this is a mighty Forts and it is built for a decade or two. There are spice and coffee notes here which are fascinating - perhaps from the summer heat? 17.5++

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/21/2017

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, tiny bit of Cabernet Franc. Les Forts is 37.5% of production and has an IPT of 77. Very supple tannins and absolutely pure drive. Sleek and pure. Rather floral and great evolution of tannins. Super-expressive. (He used very little sulphur on the fruit, which may have had an influence…) Great purity. Dances. Much more refreshing than this wine used to be. 

Wine Enthusiast

94-96 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/19/2017

Barrel Sample. This is a great wine, with superb tannins and rich fruit flavors that are in balance. Made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, the palate is dominated by black-currant flavor and a pleasant structure from the very fine tannins.

Jamessuckling.com

94-95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2017

This builds slowly on the palate, but it's worth it. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and lots of currants, berries and minerals on the finish. On and on. Better than the 2015?