The 'tour' of the estate's name is a tower that stands in the main courtyard of the estate - it is all that remains of a 12th century fort. The rest of the fort was demolished and the stones used to built the château sometime in the 18th century. A Bordeaux wine merchant, Edouard Kressmann, purchased the estate in 1871 and the Kressmann family own and run it to this day. In 1930, the striking art-deco inspired label was created. Also in 1930, the word 'Martillac' was appended to the name to avoid confusion with any other Château Latours there might be. They produce both red and white Pessac-Léognan, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot vines being grown on the slightly higher gravel soils of the Martillac plateau above the château and Merlot, Sauvignon and Semillon growing on the clay/limestone land nearer the River Garonne.
The 2020 Latour-Martillac Blanc has a more reserved bouquet compared to its peers, but still quite compelling, with crushed rock infusing the dried yellow flowers, white peach and chai tea scents. I could nose this all d...(read more)
Neal Martin, www.vinous.com