Château Latour 2006

It is a family of winegrowers in Aloxe-Corton since the seventeenth century that has patiently built up its vineyard of about fifty hectares, including 29 hectares in Grands Crus - Côtes d'Or. A unique Domaine.

The 29 hectares Grands Crus of Domaine Louis Latour vineyards extend from Côte de Beaune to Côte de Nuits. The House also owns the Château Corton Grancey and cellars dating from 1834 set in the rock of Corton "Pierrières" allowing for optimal maturation and aging.

The House is to this day directed by Louis-Fabrice Latour, a seventh generation.

The majority of the Domaine Louis Latour vines are located in Aloxe-Corton, the family's birthplace. In this village, Louis Latour owns 10.5 hectares of Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne, one of the most famous white wines of Bourgogne, but also several hectares of great red wines: Corton "Clos de la Vigne au Saint", Corton "Bressandes", Corton "Chaumes", Corton "Pougets", Corton "Perrières", Corton "Clos du Roi" and Corton "Grèves". Louis Latour also owns in Chambertin Grand Cru, Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru "Les Quatre Journaux" and Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru "Les Demoiselles".

Each year, harvesting normally takes place in mid-September, with the date varying depending on the ripeness and health of the grapes. All Domaine Louis Latour grapes are harvested by hand as late as possible.

The red wines of Domaine Louis Latour are still vinified and aged in the historic Corton Grancey winery in the purest Burgundy tradition. Only the best grapes are selected and put into traditional oak vats for a short alcoholic fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, the free-run juice is collected by gravity. The skins and pips remaining in the vat are then taken to pneumatic presses to produce the press juice which is then blended with the free-run juice. The wine will remain in oak barrels for approximately 12 months. Once the wine is bottled, it will be stored for a few more months in the cellar before being released for sale.

The vinification of white wines differs from that of red wines in that the harvested grapes are taken directly to the presses. The grape juice, called must, then undergoes a rapid fermentation that ends in oak barrels, where the wine is aged for 12 months. The wine will be racked, a simple operation that consists of taking only the clearest wines by simple decantation, taking care to leave the heaviest lees in the bottoms of old oak vats before final blending.

The Bourgognes Reds of Louis Latour like all Bourgognes are wines for ageing especially in the great vintages '15 to 30 years for the most remarkable vintages. Their silky and velvety, their roundness and their length in mouth, the perfumes of undergrowth very complex and varied that they express very often make them wines that go perfectly well with red meats or in sauce including snails of Bourgogne On the other hand the whites will go well with shellfish, oysters, and certain cheeses like epoisse or brie.