Les Forts de Latour 2012 is the second wine of Château Latour, the Pauillac First Growth, and it shows the estate’s house style in a form that is typically more approachable than the Grand Vin. The 2012 blend is reported as 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, with élevage in roughly 50–60% new oak and a long, château-controlled release cycle; notably, this was the first vintage of Les Forts not sold en primeur, reaching the market years later.

Critical reception is strong across the board, with several excellent 93-point reviews that frame the wine as a clear overachiever for its tier and vintage. Jeb Dunnuck (93) calls it “a smoking good, rich, concentrated effort,” highlighting “crème de cassis, graphite, crushed violets, cedar pencil and tobacco,” and adds that it has “rock solid mid-palate depth and a great finish.” Dunnuck also flags value in context—“It doesn’t come cheap”—while still positioning it as “a beautiful, classic Les Forts de Latour” with “another 10–15 years” of attractive drinking ahead.

Vinous’ Neal Martin (93) finds a more lifted, nuanced aromatic profile, describing “a light minty bouquet,” “more red than black fruit,” plus “orange peel” and “light pencil shaving scents.” On the palate, Martin emphasizes structure and refinement over sheer power: “medium-bodied with good density, fine tannins,” becoming “increasingly precise towards the finish,” with “graphite and black pepper lingering.”

James Suckling (93) lands on the wine’s richness and firm build, calling it “juicy and rich,” with “chocolate and hazelnuts” over “plum and berry undertones,” and “angular tannins that are firm and muscular,” noting it “needs a year or two to soften still.”

Taken together, 2012 Les Forts reads as a classic, Cabernet-led Pauillac with Latour’s signature graphite and polish, combining ripe fruit weight with a structured, age-capable frame.