Les Forts de Latour 2016 is the second wine of Château Latour, the Pauillac First Growth, and it’s built with much of the same discipline as the grand vin. In 2016, it was blended from 64.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35.3% Merlot, and 0.4% Cabernet Franc, then raised in about 50% new oak. The estate has noted that Les Forts typically carries a higher share of Merlot than Latour’s top wine, a choice that often makes it a touch more approachable earlier while keeping Pauillac structure. The 2016 vintage also marked the estate’s first year of 100% conversion to organic viticulture (certified in 2018), a meaningful marker for a property of this scale.

Professional reception for this vintage has been notably strong, with many critics landing in the mid-90s; the best published reports reach 96 points, which qualifies as an excellent showing for a second wine in a benchmark year. Overall, the message is consistent: this is not a lightweight “second label,” but a serious Pauillac that rewards cellaring.

Wine Spectator (94 points) captures the style well, calling it “a bit fleshier and more caressing than a typical Pauillac,” while still firmly rooted in the appellation’s darker, savory register. Their note points to generous fruit—“warm fig, currant and blackberry preserves”—layered with classic Left Bank accents of “charcoal and smoldering tobacco.” Importantly, they emphasize both structure and balance: “There’s grip for sure… but the fruit detail keeps the upper hand throughout,” finishing with a clear verdict: “Very, very solid.”

For drinkers, this suggests a wine that offers immediate aromatic interest but is best handled with patience. Wine Spectator recommends it “Best from 2023 through 2035,” and the wine’s tannic frame and Pauillac pedigree support that view.