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A week in Burgundy
06 August 2014Maison Latour Stage: 21st -25th July 2014
Written by Sophie Cruise, Emma Wells and David Hargreaves
Two weeks ago we three new(ish) recruits from Louis Latour Agencies took part in the first International Stage that Maison Latour have ever hosted. It was an intense week with a packed schedule of meeting people, tastings, winery and vineyard visits and all punctuated by long lunches and sumptuous dinners every night. It was an unforgettable week and a unique opportunity for us to delve into all aspects of the wonderful world of Louis Latour wines.
The three of us were joined by other Maison Latour sales and marketing representatives from Brazil, Mexico, China, Korea, Canada and Spain. Having a mixed group proved fascinating. We got to know people from such diverse cultures and also to learn how they market and sell the wines in their respective home countries. Their markets often proved quite different to our own; Beaujolais is hugely popular in Canada, and Mexicans, despite the heat, drink mostly red wine.
The week ran seamlessly as we were whisked around Burgundy in our rather plush minibus. On the first day we visited the house and winery at Corton Grancey. This is where all the Domaine wines are made in the traditional style with huge oak casks to ferment the wines in. Down spiral stairs was the ancient cellar, full of the rarest and oldest wines of the house, including some bottles from 1870! The walls were covered in ‘Confiture de Cave’ (cellar jam!), the incredible mould that grows in abundance there. The day also included tastings of Louis Latour’s wines made from grapes grown from within Burgundy but outside Côte d’Or as well as a selection of their wines made in the Ardeche and Var regions.
On Tuesday we witnessed the vibrant hub of activity that is Le Clos Chameroy. Most Louis Latour wines are made and aged here under the instruction of Jean-Charles Thomas. It is also the location for the bottling lines, cooperage and printing facility. One of the most fascinating tours was of the Latour Cooperage – where all the barrels are made in the traditional way. Watching the barrels being toasted and shaped really hammered home just how unique a house cooperage is and how long it takes to make them. Our tasting for today focussed on the fantastic red wines from the Côte d’Or. Later in the afternoon we were lucky enough to try cask samples of four 2013 vintage Grand Cru wines too. The young Pinot Noir was surprisingly dark in colour; so deep and purple we thought we must be looking at a rich Malbec! It was fascinating to smell and taste these wines so young and with so much potential.
Wednesday took us south to Beaujolais and for a day seeing the famous goblet vines, granite soils and Gamay grapes. We tasted through the entire Henry Fessy range with winemaker, Laurent Chevalier. The wines were very impressive and it was a revelation so see just how distinct the wines are between the varying crus and changing terroirs as the winemaking techniques and grape variety remain constant. The highlight of the stage for Emma. Drinking a couple of the wines with our lunch proved beyond doubt that Beaujolais wines have huge potential and it definitely opened our eyes to the versatility of Beaujolais.
Thursday was spent at the Aloxe Corton site and after a commercial discussion with Bruno Pepin regarding all the markets we represented was fascinating. The highlight of the week for Sophie came trying the stunning selection of 2012 white wines from the Côte d’Or. These are the wines that Louis Latour are often famed for and they were certainly no let down, the wines were truly spectacular. In the afternoon we stopped at the historic Hospice de Beaune, a must see if you are staying in the town.
On our last day we drove north to Chablis to meet Jean-Philippe Archambaud, the winemaker at Simonnet-Febvre. We saw the very new and smart winery at Chitry and then went on into the town of Chablis. Right in the heart can be found the original Simonnet-Febvre cellar where they still makes the Cremant de Bourgogne as they have done since 1840. On a hot summer’s day, tasting these beautifully crisp, mineral and refreshing wines was a real pleasure. Tasting the Cremant looking out over the Grand Cru Les Clos was the highlight for David. What a superb way to end the week before we headed back to Paris, homeward bound, full to the brim with wine, food and pride in our wines.