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In Memory of Louis-Fabrice Latour
30 September 2022Louis-Fabrice Latour died in Beaune on Monday, 5th September. He was 58.
These are not words that I ever expected to have to write. Louis-Fabrice was a man who seemed to have boundless energy, who never seemed to have a day off sick and frequently left us trailing in his wake as he set off on a “short walk” from a restaurant back to a hotel. That he has died at such a young age is cruel indeed.
Much has already been written about Louis Fabrice by way of an obituary and it is not my intention to go over the same ground. This is more of a personal recollection of a man that I knew for thirty five years, starting in 1987, when I joined Maison Latour as a “stagiaire” and continued when Louis Latour Ltd was set up in July 1990 in London.
Louis-Fabrice had a deep attachment to the UK. He spent time here working for H. Parrot & Co, the then importer of Louis Latour wines, and lived in London, perfecting his English and learning the ways of the UK trade. He lived in South Kensington (of course!) and steeped himself in English life. Although not fully. Many years later, at a Louis Latour dinner in the MCC Committee dining room at Lords he stood up and began his presentation with the words “Cricket, it’s just like baseball isn’t it”. A Batemanesque silence briefly gripped the audience until they laughed and applauded, still not quite sure whether this was a well targeted joke or the greatest sleight on their beloved English game that they had ever heard. Luckily, the Louis Latour wines flowed and Entente Cordiale quickly resumed.
Because of his training in the UK and time spent living here, this was a market that Louis-Fabrice enjoyed visiting. “I come here four or five times a year”, he would proudly announce, and it is true he was a frequent visitor. He loved the longevity and loyalty of many of his customers and was proud of the longstanding association that his company had had with them over many years. Remarkable records, unearthed for the Bicentenary in 1997, showed receipts from UK clients dating back to the mid-19th century and a list of notable UK customers that continues to this day. And not just in London. From the tip of Cornwall to the north of Scotland Louis Latour wines are poured and Louis-Fabrice would be “in market” to help support them when and where he could.
When he came to the UK it was a signal for those of us who were to spend time with him to up our game when it came to current affairs, sport and the current global economic situation. The reason being that Louis-Fabrice would breeze into our office and immediately share his opinion on the latest Man U v Arsenal game or want to know what we thought of the transfer of Player A to Paris St Germain. He had a canny grasp of all that was going on and one had to be quick if one was not to be outsmarted by someone who had only just stepped off the plane or train in London. Also, his memory was forensic and there was many a time that he recalled a date, a place or a name that had long since departed my own memory bank.
If you spent any time with Louis-Fabrice you quickly came to appreciate his love of politics. He once said that if he had not been in the wine trade then he would have been a political or economic journalist and I can quite believe that. He loved the political cut and thrust, the intrigue, the manoeuvring and the characters involved. He was as equally engaged with the UK scene as he was with his own domestic political landscape and always wanted to know the latest news and gossip when he was in the market.
It is fair to say that Louis-Fabrice was a great Burgundian. Following in his father’s footsteps, he was passionate about Burgundy and about protecting Burgundy on all levels. His work in changing the Louis Latour Domaine vineyards to sustainable viticulture and the extraordinary work that he supported into the genetic diversity of the vines of Burgundy are just some of the things that often went under the radar. He was also devoted to public office and was immensely proud of the years that he served as president of the Federation of French Wine and Sprit Exporters (2011 to 2014) and president of the Federation of Burgundy Negociants (2003 to 2014). This work was recognised with him being made Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 2011.
On a business front, he continued his father’s legacy by expanding into Chablis with the acquisition of Simonnet-Febvre in 2003 and in Beaujolais with the purchase of Henry Fessy in 2008. He championed Southern Beaujolais with his Pinot Noir plantings in Les Pierres Dorés and revived the plantings in Coteaux de l’Auxois, north of Dijon. A move that could come to be seen as visionary should global warming continue along its current trajectory.
At Louis-Fabrice’s funeral in Beaune, one of his colleagues said to me how much he would miss seeing him walking through the streets of Beaune. He went on to describe this vision of Louis-Fabrice, his rolling gait, jacket thrown over one shoulder, sunglasses on and tie (almost always from Hermès) askew. It was a perfect description and will indeed be a sight that many people miss. To many of us, Louis-Fabrice’s style was the opposite of what we have come to see as “French Style”, but it was very much him, it was quintessentially Louis-Fabrice and we loved him for it.
It continued into the world of technology, a world that seemed utterly alien at times to Louis-Fabrice. He was more likely to have a very simple and basic mobile tucked into the top pocket of his jacket than the latest smart phone (but who could argue with the four day battery life?) and many a visiting CEO was left somewhat perplexed by the complete absence of a PC or laptop on his desk. But maybe he was right all along; rather than being chained to his desk and a constant flow of e-mails he was more likely to be on the telephone (remember those?) talking to his customers and importers around the world. To Louis-Fabrice, talking, conversing, discussing was always preferable to a barrage of e-mails.
Above all, Louis-Fabrice was a family man. The company in Beaune was one family and the vast swathe of long term employees, some of whom have or had been with the company for over forty years, serves to illustrate that the loyalty worked both ways. At his funeral, those who had worked for him in the offices, the vineyards and the winery all came to pay their last respects and all were devastated to have lost “the boss” at such an early age. Then there is his own family: his wife, Patricia, whom he married in 1995 and their four children (a daughter and three sons) all of whom are mourning the loss of a beloved father.
So, as the 225th harvest is gathered in by Louis Latour, a harvest that appears to be bountiful and of good quality (Louis-Fabrice would have been delighted as it was just what he and many others had been praying for), we are left to reflect on a life well lived, a life of service and dedication to the region he loved and to reflect also on a man of great intelligence, someone with a great sense of humour, who never took himself too seriously but was always serious in the things he did.
Louis-Fabrice Latour, 29th February 1964 to 5th September 2022.