Classified growth since 1953, The Latour Martillac estate got its name from the tower gracing the main courtyard, vestige of a small fort buit in Martillac in the 12th century by the forefathers of the famous philosopher and vine grower Montesquieu. Edouard KRESSMANN, wine merchant in Bordeaux since 1871, drew his attention on this château especially for the quality of its white wines. His eldest son, Alfred bought the estate in 1930 and developed the red vineyards with his son Jean, on the gravelly summits of the Martillac village. Together they designed the original label, with gold and sandy stripes, that decorate the bottles since 1934. The Red wine of that particular year was even chosen by the “Wine and Spirit Benevolent Society” of London for the coronation banquet of his Majesty’s George VI, King of England, in 1936.

Today, Tristan and Loick KRESSMANN, Jean KRESSMANN’s youngest sons, helped by some of the best wine specialists of the Bordeaux region, carry on the family tradition to make the most out of this region of Graves. They balanced a part of the white grape varieties by adding Sauvignon Blanc (47%) completing with Sémillon (50%) and Muscadelle (3%) historical parts of this estate. For the red varieties, the combination of the Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Merlot (35%) is now completed with Petit Verdot (5%), situated on the best gravelly summits of the Martillac village. The vineyard is subjected to a constant and meticulous care in order to make easier the maturity of the best grapes and to control the yield of the plots. According to the tradition, the harvests are done manually.

The perfect control of temperatures during the different phases of the vinification enables us to take out the best out of the grapes varieties. For the red wines , the maturing is done in French oak barrels during 15 to 18 months, renewed by a third part each year. So as to the white wines, they are matured with only a third of new barrels and a growth on remaining sediments.