|
History
The tower of Saint-Lambert was probably built during the latter half of the 14th century. Indeed, on 18th October 1331, PONS, Seigneur of Castillon, allowed Gaucelme de CASTILLON, member of one of the richest Médoc families, to build a fortress in Saint-Lambert. In 1378, Château Latour " en Saint-Maubert ", called later Château La Tour and then Château Latour, entered the annals of history. We are at that time in the midst of the one hundred years war and the Tower of Saint-Mambert, a fortified post guarding the estuary, is being held by Breton soldiers employed by the King of France. Latour stayed under British domination, until the capitulation's treaty, just after the Battle of Castillon, on 17th July 1453.The history of the Saint-Maubert Tower is now a mystery because it doesn't exist anymore... Nowhere, on the 1759 cadastre in Château Latour, do we have the sign of a building that looks like a tower. The existing tower, which has nothing to do with the original one, did not give its name to the vineyard. This tower is indeed a pigeon house, probably built with the stones of the old Château between 1620 and 1630...
The Marquis de Segur
At the end of the 17th century, after a succesion of sales, inheritances and marriages, the Latour estate became the property of the Ségur family. It is in 1718 with the Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, that the Great History of the vineyard starts. He was the son of Alexandre de Ségur de Francs and Marie-Thérèse de Clausel, daughter of Joseph de Clausel, the latter being the second husband of Marguerite Coutaut, owner of Château Latour until 1695.Just before his death in 1716, Alexandre de Ségur bought Lafite. Two years later, his son, Nicolas-Alexandre, (called "the Prince of Vines") increased the family holding with the acquisition of Mouton (Rothschild) and Calon (Ségur). Only the Margaux estate remained in the hands of the Aulède family.In 1755, the death of the Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre created substantial changes in the destiny of Latour. Control of much of Niclolas-Alexandre's estate initially passed to his eldest daughter, named Marie-Thérèse after her grandmother, and she and her husband, a cousin named Alexandre de Ségur-Calon, ran both Lafite and Latour until they eventually handed over control of the latter to Marie-Thérèse's three younger sisters. Passing through the generations, as the end of the 18th Century drew near the estate had three owners; the Comte de Ségur-Cabanac, son of one of the three sisters, the Comte de la Pallu and the Marquis André de Beaumont, the latter two both sons-in-law to the third sister. With the Revolution the Comte de Ségur-Cabanac fled France, and his portion was auctioned off by the state in 1794, passing through a number of owners hands before eventually, as in a shrewd move their more noble counterparts put the estate up for auction, buying it back themselves and essentially giving their commercial bedfellows the elbow. The Ségur family swiftly formed a Société Civile and took on the new role of shareholders. At the beginning of the 18th century, Château Latour started to be highly recognized around the world, thanks to the reconquest of the British market and the development of the wine business in northern Europe. At that time, a cask of Château Latour was already worth twenty times as much as one of ordinary Bordeaux wine.The reputation of Château Latour was consolidated during the 19th century. It was confirmed in 1855, when the government of Napoléon III decided to classify the estates of the Médoc and the Graves for the International Exhibition in Paris: Château Latour was classified as First Growth.The existing Château was built during this "golden age", between 1862 and 1864.In 1963, the heirs of the Marquis de Ségur sold 75 % of the Château Latour shares. The new shareholders became "Harveys of Bristol" and "Hallminster Limited", both British Limited Companies. "Hallminster Limited" belonged to the PEARSON Group, and held more than 50 % of the shares of Château Latour. However the juridical structure was not changed: it kept the 120 year-old name of "Société Civile du Vignoble de Château Latour". At the time of the purchase, it was clear to everyone that the property would have to undergo major renovations, both in the vineyard and in the cellars:In Spring 1963, it was decided to extend the vineyard by 12.5 ha, by planting two plots situated outside the "Enclos" which were owned by the Domain since 1850. This extension was not meant to produce a wine that could enter the Grand Vin, but to add a second wine named Les Forts de Latour. This project was undertaken immediately and took about two years to be completed.From 1968, important improvements were made to the draining system. - Introduction of tractors and new machines for better vineyard management.Restoration and extension of the winery.1964: A decision was made to replace the old wooden vats with new stainless steel ones. At that time, it was quite a revolutionary change in the Médoc for a "Premier Cru", and the first of its kind in the region. Thanks to the new owners, a third "Golden Age" was starting at Château Latour. In 1989, Allied Lyons, already owner of 25 % of the shares, bought Pearson's as well as those remaining in the hands of some individual owners, and thus became the majority shareholder.In July 1993, Allied Lyons decided to sell their shares to François PINAULT. Entrepreneur and businessman, Mr PINAULT finally brought Château Latour back into French hands after 30 years of British ownership.
Nowadays’ owner: François Pinault
Manager: Frédéric Engerer
Cellar master: Pierre-Henri Chabot
Vineyard manager: Domingo Sanchez
Oenologist: Frédéric Ardouin
Technique Information
Location: Chateau Latour is situated on the Pauillac-Saint Julien border and is immediately north of the walled vineyard of Leoville, overlooking the Gironde Estuary.
Appellation: Appellation Pauillac Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande(2nd Growth of Pauillac in1855), Chateau Leoville Las Cases(2nd Growth of Saint-Julien in1855).
Acreage: 78 hectares
Soil: Exceptional combination of layers of gravels in the top-soil, then clay and marls underneath
Grape Varieties: 86%Cabernet Sauvignon , 12%Merlot，2%Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot .
Average age of vines: 37 years.
Cultivation Density: 9,000-10,000 per hectare.
Viticulture: "guyot double" pruning system; Green harvest: only 8 are left on average on each vinestock.
Winemaking: The alcoholic fermentation usually takes about a week. Then the maceration (with all the skins and pips) lasts an extra three weeks. These transformations take place in thermostatically controlled stainless steel vats. After this period of four weeks, the wine is removed from the vats in order to be separated it from the "marc" (composed largely of the grape skins). It is then returned to clean vats to undergo the malolactic fermentation which transforms the malic acid in the wine into lactic acid. Regular (twice weekly) replacement and is known as "ouillage" (topping up). Approximately every three months the cask has to be racked, each wine is thus racked 6 times.
Yield: 45hl-50hl per hectare
Brands: Château Latour (First Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Les Forts de Latour(Second Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Pauillac (Third Label)(A.O.C. Pauillac)
Annually production: Château Latour (First Label): 18,000 cases.
Les Forts de Latour(Second Label): 11,000 cases.
Character:
Château Latour (First Label): The high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon makes Latour the most tannic and opaque in colour and impenetrable of all the 1st Growths when young, but, with extended cellaring and the overall impression is of intense, piercing, blackcurrant fruits, intermingled with cedarwood and bolstered by rich, ripe tannins. The very best Latour vintages can last for eternity and should not be approached before their 20th birthday.
Best Vintages:
Château Latour (First Label): *1928 , *1945 , *1949 , 1959 , 1961 , 1966 , *1970 , 1971 , 1975 , *1982 , 1983, 1985 , 1986 , 1987 , 1989 , *1990 , 1994 , 1995 , *1996 , 1999, *2000, 2001, 2002, *2003, *2004
Awards:
Château Latour (First Label):
The 1990 vintage of Château Latour was chosen as Wine Spectator magazine's Wine of the Year for 1993.
In the San Diego Wine Tasting of 1975, Château Latour and Château Mouton Rothschild tied for second place in the field of ten.
In the Ottawa Wine Tasting of 1981, it ranked number seven in the field of 13.
In the Halekulani Wine Tasting of 2000, it fell below the top three ranks in the field of 17.
In the Berlin Wine Tasting of 2004, it ranked number six in the field of ten.
In the Tokyo Wine Tasting of 2006, it ranked number one in the ranking of ten.
Website: www.chateau-latour.fr
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 70%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 18 °C
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential: before their 20 years ageing
Food Match:
Château Latour (First Label):
Western Food: Roasted lamb, truffle, cheeses (not to strong as comté...), grilled meat as beef, nice cold soup (vichyssoise), not specially complicated dish.
Next Chateau Margaux
Pre Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
|
