Château Latour
Saint-Lambert
33250 Pauillac
Tél. : +33 (0)5 56 73 19 80
First Classified Growth in 1855 in the Pauillac appellation, Chateau Latour ranks alongside the other four premier crus classés of the Médoc in the coveted category of Bordeaux and world-class wines. Situated 50 kilometers from Bordeaux, bordering the Saint-Julien appellation and the Gironde estuary, the estate and its 95 hectares of vines, including its famous clos, benefit from a privileged location and many assets. Here, the terroir bears witness to constant perfection in every vintage produced. Owned by François Pinault and his Artémis Domaines group since 1993, Château Latour is a wine of absolute class, and one that can be cellared to perfection in anthology vintages.
The château's history takes us back to the 14th century, to 1331, at the height of the Hundred Years' War. The fortified tower, emblematic of the labels of this prestigious cru, is a historical witness. It was built, at least in its original version, by Gaucelme de Castillon in the heart of what was then the parish of Saint Maubert. Latour became a co-seigneury, and the land was cultivated on a mixed farming basis. Already at this time, there was talk of a wine being produced here, but obviously totally different from that produced in the 18th century and even today.
Following successive inheritances and marriages, the wine estate was acquired in the 18th century by Alexandre de Ségur, then by his son, Nicolas-Alexandre, nicknamed the "Prince of Vines". Like his father, he further expanded the estate by acquiring new land. During the French Revolution, the estate managed to retain its integrity and remained in the same family. As successive inheritances multiplied the number of co-owners, they joined forces to form a Société Civile, which, until 1962, was made up exclusively of descendants of the Ségur family. Thanks to its unique terroir, Château Latour was classified a Premier Cru in 1855. Over the years, the large number of heirs led to the sale of several shares, and new companies became shareholders.
The history of Château Latour took a major turn when François Pinault acquired a stake in the estate in 1993 via his holding company, Artémis, and became majority shareholder. Under his leadership, the estate underwent a series of changes aimed at pursuing its quest for excellence. In 1998, François Pinault appointed Frédéric Engerer to head the estate. This was followed in 1999 by a major renovation of the winery, vat room, vinification systems and storage areas, to enhance the quality of the wines. With a team of 70 people, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, the men and women of Château Latour share the same spirit of striving for perfection.
Located in the heart of the Médoc, Château Latour enjoys a privileged position just 300 meters from the Gironde estuary. This location enables it to benefit from a mild, temperate microclimate for its vines and grape growth. In fact, thanks to this topographical situation, the estate enjoys a dual influence: its proximity to the Atlantic, bringing the generous character of an oceanic climate, and its proximity to the estuary, protecting it from potential cold and allowing the grapes to ripen earlier. Typical of the Medoc climate, which can sometimes be capricious, winters are mild and summers hot and humid until mid-July, then dry.
What's more, the 95 hectares of vines are located on gravelly hilltops at 12 to 16 meters facing the estuary, offering Château Latour an exceptional terroir. The estate owns around 47 hectares surrounding the château, known as "l'Enclos". Fully drained since the 19th century thanks to the clay gravel, these parcels are used to produce the Grand Vin. Around the Enclos, gravelly sands of more recent origin are suitable for Merlot. The outer plots, covering some forty hectares, are more scattered, bringing together a wide variety of soils. The grapes from these parcels are used to make the second wine, and the youngest vines for the Pauillac.
Renovated in 2001, the vat room is made up of 80 stainless steel vats of different sizes to vinify all the berries with homogeneous profiles. Once the harvest has been destemmed and crushed, it is sent to the fermentation vats according to grape variety, vine age, vineyard study and berry tasting. To fully extract all the potential richness contained in the grapes, the wine remains in these thermo-regulated tanks for around three weeks. After running off, the wine is transferred to vats or barrels and malolactic fermentation begins. Once completed, the wine is transferred to barrels and begins its ageing phase.
During the blending process, the teams meet regularly to taste all the batches of wine produced and analyze them to determine the best blend that will make the Grand Vin of Château Latour. Next comes the blending of Forts de Latour and Pauillac. The wine is aged entirely in French oak barrels, which are renewed each year for the Grand Vin. Until summer, the wine is matured in the cellar, then transferred to the cellar for a further 10 to 13 months. Finally, the wine, clarified with egg white, undergoes a final racking before bottling.
Like Château Lafite-Rothschild and Château Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac's other two Premier Cru Classé en 1855, Château Latour is a wine of remarkable complexity, power and finesse, yet different from the appellation's other two Premiers Crus Classés. The Grand Vin, Château Latour, comes from old vines located on the famous Enclos. These exceptional parcels bring elegance, depth and concentration to the wine, while expressing the typicity of the terroir that gives the wine its identity. The blend is made up of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives the wine its expressive color, richness and freshness. Château Latour should not be drunk too soon, as it needs time to evolve its bouquet and enjoy taste impressions rarely found on other Bordeaux grands crus.
The estate's second wine, Les Forts de Latour, comes from the areas surrounding l'Enclos. This one was launched in 1966. It is made from younger vines (around 40 years old) and a few plots that could be used for the grand vin. Les Forts de Latour is matured with the same care as the grand vin, the only difference being its origin and the proportion of new barrels used during ageing (50-60%).
The estate also produces a third wine, a sort of gateway to the highly refined world of second wines and the excellence of grand vin. It's called Le Pauillac de Château Latour. This wine is initially intended for the restaurant trade. It is made from young vines grown on the vineyard's less prestigious terroirs. The blend comprises around 45% Merlot. The wine is fruity and greedy, but at the same time displays a certain privilege of being from this renowned cru. A Pauillac that's easy to understand but no less interesting.
It's worth noting that the estate made a big splash in April 2012 when it decided to stop selling its wine en primeur on the Place de Bordeaux, but only "en livrable". Withdrawing from the Primeur system is a surprising and unusual choice, but one that is understandable when the team believes that the wine deserves to be marketed when it has reached maturity. Another benefit of this policy is to better control the inevitable speculation on resale, which obviously affects iconic wines in exceptional vintages. To date, no other prestigious Bordeaux cru has followed this commercial policy.
The blend comprises 90% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. In this exceptional vintage, a year of great Cabernet-Sauvignon, Château Latour is a pedigree wine, long, precise, powerful and deep. Dark in color, it is richly textured. The nose is dense, expressive, brightly aromatic and, of course, with the freshness typical of very mature Cabernet-Sauvignon. The aromatic palette is rich and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, truffle, crushed blackberry, graphite and mocha. Maturing in new oak, in such a vintage with such impressive material, is completely digested by the fruit. Impressive density on the palate, with a very fine tannic structure that reveals the wine's backbone. Latour 2010 has an impressive wine weight. All is subtlety, rigor (precision) and harmony for this wine with grandiose cellaring potential (over 50 years, no doubt). A wine of mad class!
This second wine, as astonishing as many great wines (first label) from other Médoc crus classés, gains in complexity and elegance every year. Although its status relegates it to the very essence of Bordeaux second wines (Bordeaux concept), it has to be said that this wine occupies a special place in this family. Thanks to a complete overhaul of the estate's technical facilities over the last three decades, the Grand Vin has gained in breed, but the second wine has not been forgotten. The severe selection carried out during the harvest (which, in this vintage, benefits from organic certification), followed by parcel selections and blending of batches, has benefited the Forts de Latour to the full. The wine is serious and challenges many a Pauillac with its dimension. Produced around the château's Enclos with younger vines (40 years old, compared with 60 years old for the vines entering the Grand Vin), it can also come, depending on the vintage, from certain parcels usually reserved for the Grand Vin. Les Forts de Latour 2018 (another great Bordeaux vintage) is a dense, dark-colored wine with an aromatic expression of licorice, violets, black fruits and some spices. The palate is powerful, with present but very civilized tannins on generous fruit and acidic support giving gain to the whole. A complete, talkative wine.
1899-1900-1926-1928-1929-1945-1947-1949-1953-1955-1959-1961-1962-1970-1975-1981-1982-1985-1986-1988-1989-1990-1996-2000-2005-2009-2010-2015-2016-2018-2019-2020-2022
With over 25 years of expertise in the wine industry, our platform Wine BHM - Wine Business Hub Market offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services dedicated to professionals in the Wine & Spirits sector, all at an unbeatable price of $99 for 36 months. Say goodbye to the hassle of travel everything you need is at your fingertips. Access a global database of professionals in the wine and spirits industry, updated daily by our team of around twenty dedicated specialists. Also benefit from the expertise of Raimonds Tomsons, World’s Best Sommelier 2023, streamline your labeling process with the creations of artist DYANI, add QR codes for direct access to product information, and much more...
© Copyright 2024 - All rights reserved by Wine BHM Ltd
Website under construction
Available Soon
Download on
Download on
Got a Question ?
Subscribe to