Chateau Latour

Wine Producers » Chateau Latour

Name: Chateau Latour

Region: Medoc

Appellation: Pauillac

Classification: First Growth

Average annual production: 210,000 bottles

Grapes (vines planted): Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (18%), Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (2%)

Made by: Frederic Engerer

Owned by: Groupe Artemis

Second Wine: Les Forts de Latour

Third Wine: Pauillac de Latour

A little History: Chateau Latour was one of the first four Bordeaux first growths in the 1855 Classification for the Grand Exposition in Paris, but before then it had already been through 4 different family ownerships, sundry literary references (Montaigne been particularly of note at the turn of the 16th Century) & the French Revolution.. not to mention family divisions & strife.  The Societe Civile de Latour was finally put in place by the Segur family in 1842. Fast forward over a century & the estate is bought out by a British led cooperative, with Henri Martin & Jean-Paul Gardere running things from the ground.  Neither were afraid to innovate, replacing the oak vats with temperature-controlled stainless steel & introducing a second wine from the younger vines.  This period saw the Chateau grow from strength to strength.  The estate was to stay in British hands until 1993 when Francois Pinault finally got France back on the tower with his groupe Artemis, many successful vintages following suit. Frederic Engerer was appointed to manage the estate in 1995 & has further entrenched the Chateau’s reputation for being at the forefront on development & innovation.  He also famously opted out of the En Primeur system, striving to break through the traditional Bordeaux garrets.

Top vintage: 1945, 2009

Surprising hero: 1964, 1997

Interesting fact: La “tour” was initially designed as a pigeon roost. Fancy fowl indeed.