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Chateau Latour a Pomerol

Pomerol

Bordeaux

France

Chateau Latour a Pomerol History, Overview

Chateau Latour a’ Pomerol has vineyards that are located not far from Chateau Clinet and Feytit Clinet. Another famed vineyard that is fairly close is Chateau Trotanoy. Chateau Latour a’ Pomerol also has a long history in the region that dates all the way back to the mid or late 1800’s when the wine was sold under the name of La-Tour-Pomerol.

Chateau Latour a’ Pomerol, in its early days was the property of the Garitey family before it was passed to Madame Loubat who also owned Petrus. Madame Loubat remained the owner of Chateau Latour a’ Pomerol until her death in 1961.

At that time it was passed to Lily Lacoste, her niece. While Latour a’ Pomerol continues to be managed by Ets. Moueix today, they are not the owners. The Lacoste family retained the estate until 2002, when it was donated to the Fondation de Foyers de Charite de Chateauneuf de Galaure, a charity.

Interestingly, Latour a’ Pomerol produced some of the most legendary wines of the 20th century. 1947, 1950, 1959 and 1961 are all Bordeaux legends.

What makes that even more amazing is that 1959 and the historic 1961 were produced from very young vines due to the fact that the vineyards needed to be replanted after the 1956 frost! The majority of the vineyard needed to be replanted after the frost, starting in 1957.

However, perhaps due to its inconsistency, the high quality of the wines produced by Latour a’ Pomerol went without much notice until they were written about by the famed wine critic, Robert Parker.

With the exception of the 1970 and 1982 vintages, Chateau Latour a’ Pomerol has not been on top of its game for decades. This seems to have changed in 2009, as the property produced a very strong wine in that vintage as well as in 2010 and 2015.

Going back in time for a fun moment, until at least the legendary 1961 vintage, you were able to find negociant bottles selling the wine as Chateau Latour, Pomerol, Vin Superieur in Belgium and perhaps in other countries as well, making the wine appear as though it was from Chateau Latour in Pauillac.

Chateau Latour a Pomerol Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 7.9 hectare, Right Bank Bordeaux vineyard of Latour a’ Pomerol is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. This shows a slight increase in the amount of Merlot planted here since the mid 1990’s. The terroir is gravel, clay and sandy soil.

Due to the small size of most Pomerol vineyards, the vines are most often found in contiguous plantings. That is not the case with Latour a’ Pomerol as their vines are spread out over the Pomerol appellation.

However, their best parcels with their oldest vines are located close to the Church. Perhaps because their wine is produced from numerous terroirs is the reason the wine lacks consistency. When it’s good, it’s great! But numerous vintages between 1982 and 2008 have been at best, well made, quality wines, but they were not exciting.

That being said, the wine of Chateau Latour a’ Pomerol was outstanding in 2009. Some of the credit to the improvement in their wines can be attributed to the new drainage system placed in the vineyards. The drainage system completed in 2003 allows a system of wells and pumps to ferry out the water in very wet vintages. The lack of slopes made this an important part of the estates renovation.

To produce the wine of Latour a’ Pomerol, two laser sorting tables have been in use since 2009. After sorting, the wine is vinified in thermoregulated concrete vats for the most part.

Starting in 2004 they have also been using stainless tanks for the vinification as well. Malolactic fermentation takes place mostly in tank with a small portion of the wine going through malolactic fermentation in barrel. The press wine is added or not during the barrel aging process depending on the vintage.