Maison Louis Latour

Maison Louis Latour is a long-established Burgundy wine house combining estate viticulture, winemaking, négociant activity and barrel production. Founded in 1797, it has remained independent and family-owned while developing a substantial vineyard estate in Burgundy and wine projects in other French regions. The Latour family’s involvement in wine-growing dates back to the seventeenth century, and the business is particularly associated with Aloxe-Corton in the Côte de Beaune. The house owns approximately 50 hectares of vineyards, including substantial holdings in and around Aloxe-Corton. It is known for having one of Burgundy’s largest collections of Grand Cru vineyard holdings, with approximately 28.63 hectares cited in reference material. Its estate includes important parcels of Corton-Charlemagne and Corton, as well as holdings in prestigious appellations such as Chambertin, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Chevalier-Montrachet. The family’s Aloxe-Corton holdings include Château Corton Grancey and the historic Corton Grancey winery. Maison Louis Latour’s portfolio spans red and white Burgundy wines, with particular emphasis on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Grand Cru, Premier Cru and village appellations. Signature wines include Corton-Charlemagne, Château Corton Grancey, Chambertin Cuvée Héritiers Latour, Romanée-Saint-Vivant Les Quatre Journaux and Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles. These wines are presented through a terroir-focused approach in which vineyard conditions, exposure, soil and vintage variation are treated as central to the identity of each cuvée. The company’s winemaking practices combine traditional Burgundian methods with purpose-built facilities and controlled production techniques. Red grapes are harvested manually and traditionally vinified at Corton Grancey, where the historic winery uses gravity-assisted movement through elevators and rails. Red wines are fermented in French oak vats, pressed gently, and generally matured for about twelve months in French oak barrels. White wines are pressed soon after harvest, fermented initially in stainless-steel tanks and then matured in French oak. Final élevage and blending vary according to the wine and vintage. Cooperage is another distinctive part of the business. The company’s on-site cooperage produces approximately 3,500 oak barrels annually. About half are used for Maison Louis Latour wines, while the remainder are sold to other wineries. French oak sourced from northern and central forests is air-dried for more than two years before being shaped and toasted by the cooperage team. Maison Louis Latour also expanded beyond Burgundy. In 1979 it began developing Chardonnay production in the Ardèche, where it produces Chardonnay Ardèche and Grand Ardèche, together with the Duet blend of Chardonnay and Viognier and a varietal Viognier. In 1989 it established Domaine de Valmoissine in the Var, planting Pinot Noir at roughly 500 metres above sea level to produce a more accessible southern French Pinot Noir. In 1997, the house joined the Hénokiens, an association recognizing family-owned companies with at least two centuries of history that continue to use the founder’s name.

Maison Louis Latour traces its wine-growing heritage to the Latour family’s activities in Burgundy during the seventeenth century. The house itself was established in 1797, beginning a business that combined vineyard ownership with the production and trade of Burgundy wines. Over successive generations, the family gradually assembled an estate that eventually reached approximately 50 hectares. Aloxe-Corton became the historic centre of the family’s activities. The estate now includes around 33 hectares in the appellation, together with Château Corton Grancey and the Corton Grancey winery. Built in 1834, the winery is described as France’s first purpose-built winery. Its design and equipment reflect the house’s long connection with the hill of Corton and its preference for gravity-assisted handling of red wines. The Latour family expanded its holdings in prestigious Burgundy appellations during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The estate acquired approximately 0.81 hectares in Chambertin in the late nineteenth century and purchased around 0.8 hectares in Romanée-Saint-Vivant in December 1898. In 1913, it acquired a 0.51-hectare parcel in Chevalier-Montrachet, subsequently known as Les Demoiselles. These acquisitions helped establish the house’s presence across both the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. Corton-Charlemagne became one of the defining wines of the estate. After phylloxera damaged plantings on the limestone-rich summit of the Corton hill, the seventh-generation Louis Latour chose Chardonnay in place of Aligoté. The resulting vineyard became central to the house’s identity and is now described as one of its largest holdings, at approximately 10.5 hectares. The site’s southern exposure and elevated position support the production of a structured white Grand Cru. The Château Corton Grancey cuvée was developed to express the history of the estate. It is produced only in the strongest vintages and assembled from selected barrels originating in five Corton Grand Cru sites: Les Bressandes, Les Perrières, Les Grèves, Les Chaumes and Le Clos du Roi. The components are vinified and aged separately before the final selection and blending. Maison Louis Latour also developed an integrated cooperage operation. The cooperage produces about 3,500 barrels a year using oak from forests in northern and central France. The wood is seasoned outdoors for more than two years, then shaped and toasted using traditional methods. The activity supports the estate’s own maturation program and supplies barrels to outside wineries. The house broadened its geographic footprint in the late twentieth century. In 1979, it began exploring the Ardèche valley as a source of Chardonnay from clay and limestone soils. The resulting range included Chardonnay Ardèche and Grand Ardèche, with the latter handled in an oak-oriented style inspired by the treatment of Côte d’Or Grand Cru wines. A later Ardèche project introduced the Duet blend of Chardonnay and Viognier, as well as a hand-harvested Viognier made near Alba-la-Romaine. In 1989, the company planted Pinot Noir at Domaine de Valmoissine in the Var, near Aups. The vineyard occupies the site of a former monastery at approximately 500 metres above sea level, where warm days and cool nights provide conditions considered suitable for Pinot Noir. The project was intended to produce a quality wine at a comparatively accessible price point while extending the house’s production beyond Burgundy. In 1997, Maison Louis Latour was admitted to the Hénokiens, a club for family-owned companies with at least two centuries of history that continue to operate under the founder’s name. The admission reinforced the house’s public identity as an independent, multigenerational family business. Today, Maison Louis Latour remains associated with Burgundy estate wines, négociant production, international distribution and the continued use of traditional and modern winemaking resources.

1. 1997The house joins the Hénokiens

   Maison Louis Latour is admitted to the Hénokiens association, which recognizes long-running family-owned companies retaining their founding names.

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2. 1989Domaine de Valmoissine is developed

   Maison Louis Latour plants Pinot Noir at Domaine de Valmoissine in the Var to produce southern French Pinot Noir.

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3. 1979Ardèche Chardonnay project begins

   The house begins developing Chardonnay vineyards in the Ardèche valley, expanding its production beyond Burgundy.

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4. 1943The Charlemagne cross is installed

   A monument provided by the Hospices de Beaune is placed near the Corton-Charlemagne vineyards associated with the Louis Latour estate.

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5. 1913Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles is acquired

   Maison Louis Latour purchases approximately 0.51 hectares in Chevalier-Montrachet, a parcel later known as Les Demoiselles.

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6. 1898Romanée-Saint-Vivant holding is acquired

   The estate acquires approximately 0.8 hectares in Romanée-Saint-Vivant, including the Les Quatre Journaux parcel.

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7. 1891The Latour family acquires Château Corton Grancey

   The family purchases the château formerly associated with the Grancey family, reinforcing the estate’s base on the Corton hill.

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8. 1834Corton Grancey winery is built

   The Corton Grancey winery is constructed in Aloxe-Corton and is described as France’s first purpose-built winery.

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9. 1797Maison Louis Latour is founded

   The Latour family establishes the wine house in Burgundy, building on a family wine-growing tradition that reaches back to the seventeenth century.

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A heritage Burgundy house positioned around family ownership, estate vineyards, Grand Cru terroir, traditional Burgundian winemaking and integrated cooperage.

• Corton-Charlemagne Grand CruBurgundy white wine

  One of Maison Louis Latour’s principal white Burgundy wines, made from Chardonnay grown on the summit of the Corton hill. The estate’s holding is described as approximately 10.5 hectares. The vineyard’s limestone-rich soils, elevation and southern exposure are central to the wine’s identity. The wine is fermented and matured with French oak as part of the house’s structured, terroir-focused approach.

• Château Corton Grancey Grand CruBurgundy red wine

  A prestige red cuvée created to represent the history of the Corton Grancey estate. It is made only in the best vintages and blends selections from five Corton Grand Cru sites: Les Bressandes, Les Perrières, Les Grèves, Les Chaumes and Le Clos du Roi. Each component is vinified and aged separately before the final barrels are selected.

• Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée Héritiers LatourBurgundy red wine

  A Pinot Noir Grand Cru from the Côte de Nuits, produced from the Latour family’s single parcel of approximately 0.81 hectares. The holding runs from the upper to lower part of the slope and lies near Latricières-Chambertin. Its brown limestone and alluvial-cone geology contribute to the powerful and complex profile associated with Chambertin.

• Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru Les Quatre JournauxBurgundy red wine

  A Pinot Noir Grand Cru from Vosne-Romanée made from the Les Quatre Journaux parcel, which the Latour family has held since acquiring approximately 0.8 hectares in 1898. The parcel is situated in the southwestern part of Romanée-Saint-Vivant, close to the Romanée-Conti vineyards.

• Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les DemoisellesBurgundy white wine

  A Chardonnay Grand Cru from a 0.51-hectare parcel acquired by the estate in 1913. The vineyard lies above Montrachet and is notable for producing Chardonnay on brown soils that are often associated with Pinot Noir. The parcel name commemorates Adèle and Julie Voillot, former owners connected with the site’s history.

• Grand ArdècheArdèche white wine

  A Chardonnay from the Ardèche made from particularly ripe grapes and treated with an oak-focused method. Fermentation and maturation use barrels made by the Maison Louis Latour cooperage, reflecting the house’s intention to apply a Burgundian level of care to Chardonnay grown outside the Côte d’Or.

• DuetArdèche white wine

  An Ardèche blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. The two varieties are vinified together, combining Chardonnay’s structure with Viognier’s aromatic character and linking the wine to the historical presence of Viognier in the Ardèche.

• Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot NoirVar red wine1989

  A southern French Pinot Noir from Domaine de Valmoissine in the Var, near Aups. The vineyard sits at approximately 500 metres above sea level on the site of a former monastery. Grapes are fermented in open stainless-steel tanks for about a week, with the high-altitude setting providing warm days and cooler nights.

• Louis Latour oak barrelsCooperage

  The company’s cooperage produces approximately 3,500 French oak barrels per year. Oak from northern and central French forests is air-seasoned for more than two years, then shaped and medium-toasted by hand. Around half the barrels mature Maison Louis Latour wines, while the remainder are supplied to other wineries.

• 1989Develop Pinot Noir in the VarStrategy

  The house sought to produce a quality Pinot Noir at a more accessible price than its top Burgundy wines.

  What changed. Maison Louis Latour planted Pinot Noir at Domaine de Valmoissine in the Var, using the site’s altitude and cool nights as production advantages.

  Aftermath. Domaine de Valmoissine became the house’s southern French Pinot Noir project.

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• 1979Expand Chardonnay production into the ArdècheStrategy

  Maison Louis Latour identified the Ardèche valley’s clay and limestone soils as suitable for producing Chardonnay outside Burgundy.

  What changed. The house developed Ardèche vineyards and introduced Chardonnay-focused wines, including Chardonnay Ardèche and Grand Ardèche.

  Aftermath. The move created a non-Burgundy production base and was later extended through Viognier and Chardonnay-Viognier wines.

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1. Maison Louis Latour
2. Maison Louis Latour official website