Château Latour

History

The earliest mention of Latour dates back to 1331, with the permission granted to Gaucelme de Castillon to build a fortified tower in the parish of Saint-Maubert. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the "Tower of Saint-Maubert" appears in the Chronicles of Jean Froissart in 1378 as a stronghold guarding the estuary, before being taken by the Anglo-Gascon army after a three-day siege. This stability, documented over the centuries by exceptional archives, partly explains the remarkable quality regularity of Latour wines. Classified as a Premier Grand Cru in 1855, the estate has belonged to the Artemis group of the Pinault family since 1993.

Château Latour, the Premier Grand Cru Classé of Pauillac since 1855, dominates the Gironde estuary from its historic "Enclos" terroir. Owned by the Artémis group (Pinault family) since 1993, the estate distinguished itself in 2012 by withdrawing from the Primeurs system to market its wines only once they were ready to be tasted — a policy of patience that reflects the continuity that has characterized the property for nearly seven centuries.

The Vineyard

The vineyard extends over gravelly ridges that dominate the Gironde estuary by 12 to 16 meters, just 300 meters from it — a proximity that moderates climatic excesses, especially frost waves as in 1991, and promotes a more regular maturity of the grapes. The historical terroir of "l 'Enclos" is divided between clayey gravel in its heart and gravelly sands on its periphery, resting on deep marno-clayey layers that retain water and allow the vines — sometimes rooted up to 3 meters — to remain active even during drought years (2003, 2010). The Enclos has been fully drained since the 19th century to quickly evacuate the water as the harvest approaches. Some fifty hectares of more fragmented outdoor plots complete the vineyard with a greater diversity of soils. Finally, the estate benefits from a double climatic influence: the generous character of the Atlantic, and the protection provided by the estuary's water mass at the beginning of the vegetative cycle.

Certifications

The estate, committed to biodynamics since the mid-2000s, has converted its entire vineyard to organic farming — a rare step among the Premier Grands Crus Classés of 1855.