Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir

Description

Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir is a red wine from the Provence wine-growing region made at Maison Louis Latour’s estate located in the Var. Along with their Grande Ardeche Chardonnay, it is one of Latour’s few projects outside of Burgundy.

Maison Louis Latour: Origins in 1768

The Latour family have long been established in Burgundy’s wine trade. They began as vinegrowers in the village of Aloxe-Corton as early as 1768 and went on to establish today’s business, Maison Louis Latour, in 1797. Today, they are one of the region’s most famous wine producers.

Domaine de Valmoissine Wines

The Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine project was launched in the mid-1980s in conjunction with a local wine co-operative whilst Latour searched for the best land for their new estate. The first 35 hectares of exclusively Pinot Noir vines were planted in 1990 at the estate located at Aups in the Haut Var. Today the estate has expanded to over 100 hectares of vineyard. The estate is located on the site of the ancient monastery and university of Valmoissine (at 500 metres above sea-level) in the Côteaux de Verdon.

Perfect Conditions for Pinot Noir

The vineyards are situated at a relatively high altitude of 500m on a combination of clay and limestone soils with a fully south-facing aspect, perfect conditions for the cultivation of Pinot Noir. These unique growing conditions mean that the grapes benefit from a slightly warmer climate but are also enriched by the longer, cooler night-time hours. It is these cooler nighttime hours that give the wine its ultimate finesse.

Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir Winemaking

The vinification of the Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir has always been identical to that used by Latour in Burgundy. The yields are kept low to ensure the grapes mature properly and have concentration. The wine is made at the Cave La Verdiere, an old wine co-op bought by Maison Latour, which underwent extensive renovation and improvements in 2011.

• After harvest (both hand and mechanical), the grapes are transported to the winery.
• The grapes are destemmed before fermentation.
• Fermentation takes place in open stainless steel vats for approximately 1 week.
• Following fermentation, the grapes undergo a gentle pneumatic pressing to minimise excessive extraction.
• The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks for 10 to 12 months.
• The finished wine is bottled under the Indication Géographique Protégée Var (IGP Var) designation.