Château Latour, one of the greatest wine estates in the world, is the perfect example of what can be achieved by a combination of human endeavor and natural advantage. In the world of wine, much may be improved by human action, but the starting point is always the terroir. For the Classic Médoc blend, and for Cabernet Sauvignon in particular, the perfect harmony of temperate climate, micro-climate, well-draining gravelly soil, slope and position may be pinpointed to Château Latour’s L’Enclos vineyard. From here, even in more difficult economic times, and in challenging vintages, the strength of the terroir comes through in old bottles of Château Latour. It’s quality was recognized in 1855 when it was ranked amongst four ‘first growths’ of Bordeaux.

The team put together by owner François Pinault and led by Frédéric Engerer, has for the last quarter of a century sought to eek out the maximum quality possible from what this site naturally wants to give. Every technical advantage possible has been researched and implanted in the vineyards, the vines, and the winery, to lose as little as possible from each vintage’s optimal expression of Latour. (Indeed, sometimes this has led to intervening less, such as in the ‘progress’ to organic and then biodynamic viticulture). What is so pleasurable in tasting the wine, is that that effort sits in the background – you feel Latour, not the making of it.

Château Latour is charactersied by generosity of fruit, by a certain sense of power and confidence. It is never feeble, even when faced with challenging weather in the growing season. Yet, it would be a mistake to think of it as something obvious, something blunt. The wine of Château Latour combines its authority with great balance, elegance and finesse. It delivers its potency with grace. But the potency is there, and you see it in the way Latour ages so effortlessly for decades, revealing different parts of its story as the decades pass.

This evening we are very lucky to have the chance to observe exactly that, while dining in Beijing with two leading men from Château Latour – Commercial Director, Jean Garandeau, and Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific, Rufus Beazley, joined by The Fine Wine Experience’s Linden Wilkie. Rufus lived in mainland China for a few years, so please feel free to speak with him in Putonghua at the dinner!

All the wines for tonight’s dinner have come directly from Château Latour’s own reserve cellar, and the four oldest wines will be served from magnum format.

Wines to be served:
2012 Les Forts de Latour
2010 Les Forts de Latour
2008 Château Latour
2006 Château Latour
2001 Château Latour, magnum
1995 Château Latour, magnum
1989 Château Latour, magnum
1975 Château Latour, magnum

This is your chance to deepen your experience of one of the world’s finest wine estates. The dinner is small enough to ensure good interaction. As such, please book quickly to ensure you secure your seat(s).