A Superb
location
Château Latour is located in the heart of the Médoc wine region, about 50 km north-west of Bordeaux, where the legend of the vineyards of Bordeaux began. The château's prime terroir, l’Enclos, overlooks the Gironde estuary: it is the river and the ocean that, over the centuries, have given the vineyard its geological complexity and, on a daily basis, ensure a mild climate.
Château Latour’s superb location, just 300 metres from the estuary, gives it its special character and tempers any extreme weather conditions, especially spells of severe cold or frost, as for example in 1991. There are two factors that have a benign influence:
• The proximity of the Atlantic, bringing the generosity of an ocean climate;
• The immediate proximity of a large mass of water in the form of the estuary, protecting against possible cold spells early in the growth cycle and also enabling earlier ripening of the grapes, which can be an important factor as the harvests approach.
The cycle
The Médoc climate is often capricious, and this is what gives each vintage its unique personality, but the growth cycle can usually characterised as follows:
Winter
A mild, wet winter with some cold spells,
Spring
The spring usually has two phases, the first cold and damp, the second warmer but often rainy.
Summer
A hot summer, frequently rainy until mid-July and then drier. Day and night time temperatures are generally more contrasted in August, thereby accelerating the ripening of the grapes while preserving their aromatic freshness.
Autumn
The beginning of the autumn is usually sunny with cooler temperatures.