Château Latour
A Pauillac First Growth famed for powerful, structured, exceptionally long-lived Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, owned since 1993 by François Pinault's Groupe Artémis.
About Château
Château Latour is a Pauillac First Growth and one of the five Premier Grand Cru Classé estates of the 1855 Classification, occupying the southeastern tip of Pauillac near the Gironde estuary. The site has been occupied since at least 1331, and the estate dates to at least 1378; the de Ségur family controlled it for centuries until 1962. After passing through English ownership, it returned to French hands in 1993 when François Pinault acquired it via his holding company Groupe Artémis. The grand vin is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with Merlot and smaller amounts of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, renowned for its density, tannic structure and remarkable capacity to age for decades. In 2012 Latour withdrew from the Bordeaux en primeur system, choosing instead to release wines only when judged ready to drink. The principal second wine is Les Forts de Latour.
Flagship wines
- Château Latour (grand vin)
- Les Forts de Latour (second wine)
- Pauillac de Latour (third wine)
Editorial notes
Latour no longer sells en primeur and releases bottles with bottle age; expect to pay for cellared, drinkable vintages. A wine that genuinely rewards decades of patience.