Château Latour-Martillac: a Benchmark in Pessac-Léognan

FAMILY HERITAGE

A Bordeaux merchant since 1871, Edouard Kressmann fell under the spell of the estate, which his son Alfred eventually bought in 1930.

With his son Jean, Alfred developed the red vineyard and perfected the visual identity of the château by designing the original gold and sand barred label, which has remained unchanged since 1934.

The 1934 vintage was chosen by the Wine and Spirit Benevolent Society of London to accompany the coronation banquet of King George VI, a most prestigious privilege which in no way detracts from the family intimacy of this estate which is strongly attached to its terroir and heritage.

Today it is Jean Kresmann's two youngest sons, Loïc and Tristan, who manage the farm with the same care.

Together they have rebalanced the vineyard with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

CHÂTEAU WORTHY OF ITS TERROIR

With its very particular style, the Pessac-Léognan appellation produces red and white wines of great elegance. It includes all the great classified growths of the Graves.

The exceptional terroir of Pessac-Léognan offers mosaics of gravel (stones from the Garonne river that capture the sun's rays and diffuse heat at night), clay and limestone outcrops.

With Loïc and Tristan Kressmann, each type of soil corresponds to a red or white grape variety that will express its full personality. This search for typicity continues right through to the vinification process, with perfect control of temperatures at the different stages of this operation, which allows the best of the grape varieties to be expressed.

In parallel, the less complex vines (often the young vines) will be bottled the summer following the harvest to produce the second wine: Lagrave-Montillac.

With its intense ruby-coloured wines, very fruity and with spicy and smoky nuances, Château Latour-Martillac is and will remain one of the great references in Pessac-Léognan.