Château Latour Haut Brion

Château La Tour Haut-Brion – The whispered swan song from the outskirts of the city

There, where the suburbs of Bordeaux gently give way to the vineyards of Talence and the vines breathe in the dusty scent of the Garonne, lies a winery that sounds like a forgotten chapter in the grand history of Bordeaux . Château La Tour Haut-Brion – a name that evokes the mighty towers and the sublime resonance of its most famous neighbour, yet harbours its own quiet secret.

The roots of this estate stretch back deep into the 16th century, when the Rostaing family planted the first vines and ran the estate under the name ‘La Tour de Rostaing’ or ‘La Tour d’Esquivens’. For over two centuries, the estate passed through various hands, weathering the turmoil of the French Revolution , before the Cayrou brothers coined its current name in the 19th century and added ‘Haut-Brion’. The Graves classification elevated the estate to the select circle of Crus Classés for red wine in 1953 and 1959 . It was the smallest vineyard amongst the appellation’s Classés – a jewel of just five hectares, which in good years yielded only 2,000 to 2,500 cases .

His wines possessed a quiet elegance that was prized by connoisseurs worldwide. Aromas of cigar boxes, undergrowth and blackberry jam unfolded on the nose, whilst on the palate the wines were straightforward, balanced and delicate – a rather understated estate that consistently produced wines of great character, capable of ageing very well.

However, the fate of Château La Tour Haut-Brion was to remain inextricably linked to that of its famous neighbour. In 1983, the Dillon family, owners of Château Haut-Brion, also acquired La Mission Haut-Brion and, with it, La Tour Haut-Brion. For two decades, the wine continued to be marketed under its own label, but with the 2005 vintage, the voice of this small estate fell silent forever. The vineyards were merged with those of La Mission Haut-Brion, and the grapes have since been used in its second wine.

Château La Tour Haut-Brion is now a legend that lives on only in the rare bottles of its past vintages – a whispered swan song from the outskirts of the town, preserving in every drop the memory of a small but magnificent terroir.