Recommended wines: Château Latour red wine, Château Latour red wine
 
Parker's perfect years: 1961, 1982, 1996, 2003, 2009, 2010
 
Château Latour, located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, is one of the famous Médoc premier vineyards. Located at the mouth of the Geelong River, the tower on the Latour label was used as a local fortification in the 14th century to protect the entire territory from enemy invasions. The original tower is long gone, and in its place is a white dove tower built in the 17th century.
 
Château Latour has a total of 92 hectares of vineyards, including 47 hectares around the castle called L'Enclos, one of the oldest and most high-quality vineyards in Bordeaux, which dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries, and at a time when vines were commonly mixed with other crops, L'Enclos was planted with a rare two-thirds of the vines.
 
The vineyard of L'Enclos is the heart of Château Latour, which is divided into 70 plots according to the microclimate, with the central plot of vines over 60 years old dedicated to the production of the first wine, Grand Latour, and the marginal plots, which are generally used for the production of the second wine, Château Latour. There are exceptions, of course, and if some of the central plots do not perform well that year, they will also be used to blend sub-brand wines.
 
In the 60s of the last century, the British Pearson Group took over the winery, and there was an uproar in France, and doubts followed, which was followed by drastic reforms, such as the cultivation of new vines, the renewal of brewing machines, and the introduction of stainless steel fermentation vats, which also made Latour one of the first Médoc wineries to adopt modern fermentation methods. In terms of grape harvesting, Château Latour also picks grapes in small baskets, with only 8 kilograms at a time, to avoid overweight and crushing of grapes.
 
Château Latour is known for its stable wines, and is widely regarded as one of the most balanced of the five, thanks to its proximity to the estuary, the vines of Château Latour have a clear advantage in regulating the temperature, and in some extremely cold and hot years, Château Latour is able to ensure the production of high-quality top wines, which is also the basis of Château Latour's reputation. The Grand Latour style is strong, usually with a strong body, lively acidity, supple tannins, a long finish, and a strong ageing potential, with 10-15 years being the norm, and some excellent vintages are aged for decades for better flavors.
 
The second wine, Château Latour, also known as Petit Latour, debuted in 1966 and was only occasionally brewed until 1990 and only regularly after 1990. Petit Latour is the same as the Grand Cru in terms of vineyard management and winemaking techniques, differing only in the quality of the grapes and the way they are matured, while the grapes are younger and are matured in 50%-60% new barrels instead of 100% new barrels. In addition, due to the high proportion of Merlot grapes in Petit Latour, Petit Latour will be more supple and easy to drink on the palate.
 
Drinkers generally refer to Château Latour as "one door and three masters", because in addition to the main wine and the second wine, Château Latour also produces a three-army wine, called Latour Boillac. The grapes used to make La Tupoillac are of a slightly lower standard, usually the youngest grapes in the vine, and 45% Merlot grapes are matured in 20% new oak barrels.
 
The "madness" of China's red wine market has not yet touched Latour, so the domestic price of Latour red wine is reasonable, and the price of Grand Latour is in the range of 5,000-10,000 yuan, and some top vintages can exceed 10,000 yuan; The price of Xiaolatu is close to the people, and you can start it for 2,500 yuan. If you're planning to buy, it's worth noting that Château Latour withdrew from the en primeur model in 2011, i.e. after 2011, Château Latour will no longer sell wine as a draft wine. In layman's terms, Château Latour will cellar the wines themselves and sell them when they are ready for drinking. Therefore, if you come across a new vintage label when purchasing, you are most likely stumbling into a fake.