One of the five original first growth estates of the Médoc, and amongst the most prestigious properties of the entire Bordeaux region, Château Latour produces powerful, well-structured wines with excellent ageing potential. The estate is renowned not only for its superb quality, but also for its remarkable consistency, even in difficult years.
Located at the southern tip of the Pauillac appellation, close to its border with Saint-Julien, Latour’s long history dates back to the mid-fourteenth century, when the original Saint-Lambert tower (which still adorns its labels) was built. The tower’s strategic position close to the Gironde estuary, helped to guard the town from attack during the One Hundred Years War, and subsequently, the same location has served to protect the vines of Latour from winter frosts, and to moderate extremes in temperature over the ensuring centuries. Vines have been planted on this site continuously since then, and although some of the early wines received positive acclaim on a local level, it was not until the seventeenth century that Latour’s reputation for viticultural excellence began to establish the property amongst the Bordeaux elite.
The estate’s enviable location above the Gironde, and the maritime influence of the Atlantic, ensures an excellent micro-climate for grape cultivation. In particular, the warm summers characterised by the variation in day and night-time temperatures, allows the grapes to ripen quickly whilst retaining their freshness and acidity.
The ninety-two hectares of vine here can be divided into two distinct categories - the forty-seven which occupy the free-draining hilltops and slopes around the château itself - appropriately named the ‘Enclos’, and the remainder, on beautiful, bounteous plots such as Piñada, Petit Batailley and St. Anne. Typical of Pauillac properties, Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for the lion’s share of the vineyard area with around three quarters of all vines, Merlot with a little over one fifth, and there is also a tiny fraction of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
