Château Latour-Martillac

There is a tower on the grounds of Château Latour-Martillac, situated in the main courtyard of the estate in the village of Martillac, south of Bordeaux. These are the remains of a 12th-century fortress built by the ancestors of the philosopher Montesquieu, from whom the château takes its name. The word ‘Martillac’ was added later specifically to avoid confusion with another Château Latour, located in the Médoc.

History

In 1871, the Bordeaux wine merchant Édouard Kressmann took note of the quality of the white wines produced on this gravelly hill and began working with the estate. His eldest son, Alfred, officially purchased it in 1930, renamed it and added Cabernet Sauvignon to the existing red varieties. Alfred and his son Jean developed the estate’s iconic Art Deco-style label with gold and sand-coloured stripes in the early 1930s, and it has remained unchanged ever since. The 1934 vintage red wine was selected for the celebrations marking the coronation of King George VI of England in December 1936.

In 1953, the estate was classified as a Cru Classé de Graves, one of only six estates classified for both red and white wines. Jean Cressmann succeeded his father in 1954 and expanded the vineyards to almost 30 hectares.

Today, the estate is owned by Jean’s six children, with day-to-day management handled by Tristan and Loïc Cressmann.

Vineyards and grape varieties

The estate covers a total of around 54 hectares on the gravel plateau of Martillac in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Around 45 hectares are planted with red varieties, and the remainder with white.

The red wine blend is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Merlot and Petit Verdot. The white wines are based on Sémillon, the estate’s historic variety, with the addition of Sauvignon Blanc, the proportion of which has been steadily increasing since the 1980s.

The oldest plot for white wine dates back to 1884 and forms the basis for a special cuvée called Grapecap, which is produced only in exceptional years.