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Les Forts de Latour 2012

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Latour

Label

Tasting Notes

The second wine, from vineyards outside of their famous walled l’enclos, the 2012 Les Forts de Latour (75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance mostly Merlot) is a beautiful, elegant wine with a dense purple color, notes of sweet black cherries and blackcurrants, subtle background minerality and no evidence of oak. This medium to full-bodied, beautifully constructed and layered Les Forts de Latour should drink nicely for 15 or more years. Drink: 2015-2030.

90
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (218), April 2015

This is the first vintage to not be offered En Primeur, meaning this is the first commercial release for this wine. It is composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with expressive notes of crème de cassis, unsmoked cigars, charcuterie and tapenade on the nose with hints of kirsch and fertile loam plus a waft of menthol. Medium to full-bodied, the palate displays great concentration, sporting beautifully ripe, finely grained tannins, wonderful freshness and a long, savory finish. Just entering its drinking window and still possessing bags of fruit, it should continue to evolve and cellar for a further 15+ years. 2018 - 2033

92
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, March 2018

Great quality, in a sweet spot to drink. Has power and grace, and plenty of raspy slate-strewn tannins to sink into, muscular enough to showcase the powerful soils of Latour. Blueberry and blackcurrant fruits in abundance, violet-edged, succulent rather than intense. No need to rush to drink, not the same persistency as 2010 or 2016, but this is easy to recommend. 43% of overall production.

92
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, March 2022

Dark purple. Smoky nose. An edge of gunsmoke. Different and more demanding to taste than previous years. Just a little stringy.

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2013

The second wine of Château Latour, the 2012 Les Forts de Latour is a smoking good, rich, concentrated effort that most likely wins the battle of the second wines in the vintage. Crème de cassis, graphite, crushed violets, cedar pencil and tobacco notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied 2012 that has rock solid mid-palate depth and a great finish. It doesn’t come cheap but is a beautiful, classic Les Forts de Latour that will drink nicely for another 10-15 years. 2018 - 2032

93
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, April 2018

Admirably rich for the vintage, with solid plum and black currant paste flavors, allied to a decidedly brisk and racy structure and backed by plum pit, iron and singed alder notes through the finish, giving this a rather linear feel overall. Should age well, and will likely always have more cut than breadth. Best from 2017 through 2025.

91
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, March 2015

The best second wine from a first growth in 2012, reflecting the quality of Latour itself, this is not a big, buxom Pauillac by any means, but its charms are considerable, with lovely focus and freshness, refined tannins and hints of graphite, minerality and blackcurrant. Long and well balanced. Drink: 2020-35

94
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2013
Read more tasting notes...

The 2012 Les Forts de Latour is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot and a bit of Petit Verdot. 42.4% of the crop made it into this second wine. It is a lighter-styled, medium-bodied effort exhibiting notes of graphite, black currants and wet rocks along with an attractive mid-weight and freshness. There is a lot of precision and elegance to this 2012, which, like its bigger brother, is lighter than most vintages.

Chateau Latour harvested its Merlot between September 24 and October 4, and most of the crop ended up in Les Forts de Latour and Pauillac. The Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between October 5 and 16, the Cabernet Franc on October 8 (obviously a wet harvest), and the Petit Verdot on October 12. The 2012 Latour, which is off the market as a wine future until the Pinault family and Frederic Engerer agree on when to release it (probably 7-8 years from now), is a blend of 90.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.6% Merlot and the rest a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot. Only 36% of the crop was utilized in the grand vin, which achieved 12.8% natural alcohol.

89/91
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (206), April 2013
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.