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Domain: Château Latour-Martillac

Château Latour Martillac, (Latour has been written as a single word since 1990) gets its name from the twelfth century tower which stands at the entrance to the château. Its vineyard is located on a wonderful gravelly hilltop close to the village of Martillac. Bought by Alfred Kressmann in 1930, the estate is now managed by his descendants, Tristan and Loïc Kressmann. The original label, designed and drawn by Alfred Kressmann and his son Jean in 1934 still adorns the bottles of Château Latour Martillac, a wine which was served by the Wine and Spirit Benevolent Society in London at the banquet to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty George VI King of England in 1936. The vineyard, which has clay and gravel soil, produces red and white wines, and depending on the years whites account for 20 to 25% of the harvest. The grapes are picked with great care, the harvest is destemmed and then sorted by hand. The red wines, made by blending three grape varieties (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot) are matured for 15 to 18 months in oak barrels, of which a third are changed every year. Only the very best batches are selected for the grand vin, batches from younger vines are blended under the Lagrave Martillac name. The white wine grapes comprised of 55% Sémillon, 40% Sauvignon and 5% Muscadelle are picked with a succession of selections until they are ripe. The white wines are kept on their lees for over a year, then transferred to dark glass bottles which will ensure that they reach their full potential over the following decades.