LES FORTS DE LATOUR 2020

Forts de Latour

Château Comments

The Forts de Latour is the second wine of Château Latour, named after the historic plot within the estate. The Forts de Latour has been in existence since 1966, and this wine has continuously evolved to now offer us a nectar of great class, reaching the level of the classified growths of Pauillac.

History of the Château

Château Latour owes its name to the tower of Saint Maubert, built by the English to protect the estuary during the Hundred Years' War. However, it was not until the Ségur family acquired it in 1695 that the estate turned its focus to viticulture. Known as "the Prince of Vines," Marquis Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, who then owned Mouton and Lafite, aimed to cater to the demands of the English high society. The Marquis enhanced his wine to such an extent that its price was multiplied by five during the 17th century.

The Ségur descendants retained the majority of the estate's shares and in 1842, they established the first agricultural civil company. In 1962, the estate changed hands when an English company, Pearson, bought the majority of the shares. Another British company, Allied Lyons, took control in 1989 until Château Latour finally returned to a French owner in 1993, the businessman François Pinault.

The great success of the estate is due to the location of its vineyards, a continuous 47 hectares called "l'enclos," situated between Léoville Las Cases and Pichon Longueville. Resting on a mound of Garonne gravels very close to the Gironde, this well-drained, deep and warm soil provides the ideal location for producing the world's best Cabernet Sauvignon.

<b>Today...</b>

Under the direction of François Pinault, Château Latour has undergone significant renovations: new cellars, tasting room, and a new architectural design for the main building. The renovations were completed in 2003 and a new technical team was put in place under the management of Frédéric Engerer, who has been in charge since 1998. Constantly seeking harmony and precision, Château Latour experiments with new methods such as biodynamics, which has already been adopted by several big names in Médoc.