Les Forts de Latour 2018 is the second wine of Château Latour in Pauillac, sourced from parcels outside the Enclos and selected vats that don’t go into the Grand Vin. The blend is 65.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot and 0.4% Petit Verdot, raised in a regime that includes new oak (reported as 60%). It comes in at 14.2% alcohol, and in 2018 it represented 42% of the estate’s production.

The wine has drawn notably strong reviews, with several excellent 95-point scores. Jeb Dunnuck calls it “a fruit bomb… overflowing with sweet cassis,” adding that it’s “as good as most châteaux’s Grand Vin” (95 points). Jeff Leve similarly highlights how it “pops” with “salty, blackberries, tobacco leaf, cigar box, smoke,” and concludes it is “opulent, as well as fresh,” recommending it from 2025–2040 (95 points). The Wine Palate (95 points) describes a deep “garnet‑purple” wine that “storms out of the glass” with blackberry, crème de cassis, spice and sandalwood, finishing “long and opulent.”

The profile is classically Pauillac in its mix of dark fruit and savory, mineral detail. Antonio Galloni (Vinous, 94) notes it is “surprisingly approachable” for young Forts de Latour, with “serious concentration,” and a dark register of “gravel, incense, licorice and scorched earth.” Wine Spectator (94) frames it as “a gorgeous combination of cashmere and graphite,” with cassis and blackberry, plus “light violet, anise and black tea,” calling it “hard to resist” but built for the cellar (best 2022–2035).

Not every note suggests immediate softness. Wine Advocate rates it 92+ and cautions that its “youthful flesh is receding to reveal structure that will demand some patience.” Decanter (93) also finds it “a little closed right now,” though concentrated, citing low yields, 2.4% press wine, and a 2025–2042 window. Overall, it’s a powerful, polished Forts that combines early appeal with real Pauillac structure.