Château Latour

Among the Most Celebrated Wine Estates of Bordeaux

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Château Latour: Heraldry, History, and the Tower That Became an Icon.

Among the great names of Bordeaux, few command as much reverence as Château Latour. Known globally as one of the Premiers Crus Classés since the 1855 classification, Latour is not merely a vineyard, it is a legend. Its wines symbolize both endurance and excellence, and its emblem, a tower crowned with a lion, has become one of the most recognizable images in the world of viticulture. Yet the story behind this emblem is neither a straightforward family coat of arms nor the simple branding of a wine estate. Instead, it is the story of a place shaped by medieval warfare, noble ambition, heraldic symbolism, and centuries of dedication to winemaking.

Nicolas-Alexandre, Marquis de Ségur

The Emblem of Château Latour.

The arms of Château Latour consist of a stone tower - evoking a medieval donjon - upon which stands a lion. To the casual eye, the composition might seem like any aristocratic heraldry, inherited through generations of noble lineage. Yet Latour’s emblem is not the continuation of a family crest, but rather an estate emblem, a visual identity born of the land itself. The tower is a direct pun on the estate’s name (armes parlantes, or “canting arms”). In French heraldry, such visual plays were common: families named “Lefèvre” might bear a smith’s hammer, while “La Roche” would display a rock. For Latour, the tower was the obvious choice, tying the estate’s visual identity to its historical origins. The addition of the lion atop the tower reinforces its heraldic presence. In heraldry, lions are symbols of strength, vigilance, courage, and guardianship. Standing atop the fortress, the lion conveys the idea of a vineyard that is not only noble but also protected, resilient, and destined to endure. This choice also reflects possible English influence, for during the medieval period when Bordeaux was under English control, lions dominated coats of arms across Anglo-Gascon society. The emblem, then, is less genealogical than symbolic: a tower that names the estate, and a lion that defends it.

The Historical Origins of the Tower.

The story begins in 1331, when Gaucelme de Castillon obtained authorization from Lord Pons to build a tower in the parish of Saint-Maubert, close to the Gironde estuary. At that time, the Médoc was a frontier, and the Hundred Years’ War between France and England was beginning to shape its destiny. The tower, part of a small fortification, was designed to guard the estuary and ensure safe passage for ships in a contested territory. This early tower gave its name to the estate: La Tour en Saint-Maubert. For more than a century, the site was embroiled in the conflicts of the Hundred Years’ War. English forces held it until 1453, when the French army, victorious at the Battle of Castillon, regained control. The original tower itself eventually fell, but its memory lingered, and with it, the estate’s name. In the 17th century, around 1620, a new structure was built on the property: the Tour de Saint-Lambert. Unlike its medieval predecessor, this was not a military watchtower but a dovecote, part of the estate’s agricultural functions. Yet its circular shape and enduring presence quickly became the visual stand-in for the lost medieval tower, and it is this silhouette that survives today on Château Latour’s labels.

The Question of Noble Arms.

Unlike other Bordeaux estates, Château Latour was not born from the long continuity of a single noble family’s lands. Instead, it passed through multiple hands, each of which added to its prestige. In the Middle Ages, it was part of the holdings of the Ségur family, one of Bordeaux’s great dynasties. The Ségur arms, however - Argent, a fess gules with three mullets or - bear no relation to Latour’s later emblem.

Thus, Latour’s arms are not inherited heraldry but estate symbolism, derived from the name and history of the property itself. This distinguishes it from châteaux like Haut-Brion, which bore arms tied directly to its noble owners. Latour’s emblem speaks of the land, the tower, and the estate as an enduring entity beyond dynastic succession.

The Rise of the Vineyard.

Though vines were cultivated in the Médoc as early as the Roman period, Château Latour’s history as a wine estate took shape in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the 1500s, the de Mullet family consolidated ownership of the lands, building a coherent estate. In 1670, Latour passed to the de Chavannes, and in 1677, through marriage, to the de Clauzel family. It was during this time that viticulture became central to the property, aligning with the Médoc’s transformation into one of the world’s premier wine regions. In the early 18th century, Château Latour entered its golden age under the stewardship of the Ségur family once again. Alexandre de Ségur, later called the “Prince of Vines”, brought Latour into a constellation of great estates, including Lafite, Mouton, and Calon-Ségur. Under his management, Latour’s wines gained international fame, particularly in Britain. By the time Thomas Jefferson visited Bordeaux in 1787 as American envoy to France, he considered Latour among the first quality growths of the Médoc.

Construction of the Château.

While the estate had existed for centuries, the modern château building that one associates with Château Latour today was constructed in the mid-19th century, specifically between 1862 and 1864. This was part of a wave of investment in Bordeaux châteaux, reflecting the wealth and prestige generated by the wine trade. The building itself symbolized Latour’s new status: not merely a farm or seigneurial estate, but a palace of wine, embodying refinement, power, and continuity. Thus, while the tower dates back to medieval fortifications and the dovecote of the 17th century, the château itself is a 19th-century creation, built at the height of Bordeaux’s prosperity.

Conclusion.

From its beginnings as a medieval stronghold in the 14th century, through its dovecote tower of the 17th century, to the château of the 19th century and its recognition as a First Growth in 1855, Château Latour has continually reinvented itself while preserving its symbolic heritage. Its emblem - tower and lion - is not a relic of dynastic heraldry but a creation of estate identity, reflecting both its name and its martial origins. Today, it remains one of the most iconic emblems in the world of wine, a reminder that at Château Latour, history and heraldry flow together like the rich red wine for which it is famous.

Gerry's Collection of Antique Seal Stamps.