Interview: Louis-Fabrice Latour

Maison Louis Latour is the oldest family run winegrower and negociant in Burgundy having been operating in Aloxe-Corton since 1768 as growers and barrel makers and operating as a negociant since 1797 and based in Beaune since 1867.

Louis-Fabrice Latour has been part of the family business since 1989 and was passed control of the operation by his father, the sixth Louis Latour, in 1999 and has since implemented new and more modern management skills and ideas.

According to Louis-Fabrice, it is an unwritten rule that every generation should leave something new for the future generation, but for now, his focus is on the continuation of keeping Louis Latour’s already well established reputation.

Wine Times caught up with Louis-Fabrice last week as he visited Hong Kong to show off his most recent releases and conduct tastings and dinners with his local importers, Links Concept and the many Burgundy wine fans here in the territory.

WTHK: So you are the tenth generation of the Latour family and everything you learned you learned from your father?

L-FL: “I am actually the eleventh generation and the seventh Louis Latour. I studied political science and joined the winery fairly young – in my mid twenties – so yes, and no. But I learned a lot from him. I think it’s a good idea to start working young – but my son Louis who is twelve years old, is still a little too young to work!”

WTHK: If you are a family business will your son have a choice but to join the winery?

L-FL: “He will have a choice. We’ve seen that many companies have been sold in Burgundy in the last 25 years which have been companies where the new generations have been a little naïve. I think that if you are forced to come into the business then it will not work”.

WTHK: To ensure these family sustained business are you in favour of making the region a UNESCO world heritage site?

L-FL: “Yeah, of course, we are. I think we have a good chance (of it going ahead) and we are supported by the French government and we’ve been selected and are in a good position. But we will just have to wait and see. But I don’t think it will create the impact that keeps families in charge of vineyards; I think it will have more of an impact on the overall state of the region. Things will most certainly improve for sure and it will bring tourism for sure alongside making sure the infrastructure is well maintained”.

WTHK: What is it that you, personally, love about wine?

L-FL: “I like to drink it! (Laughs). No really I like the wine trade overall. It’s always interesting to meet people all over the world from the press to the consumers to the distributors.  I like the charm of the trade – plus I like drinking it! It is a business at the end of the day though and to make a good living we need to make a good wine”.

WTHK: Are Burgundian wines your favourite?

L-FL: “Ah yes, it has to be! I don’t only drink Maison Latour wines I also like to drink wines from others too. I drink a lot of French wines, mainly from the Rhone and the Alsace (other than Burgundy). You know, I have a tendency to drink wines from other people I know in the business, we trade wines and we meet up and this is very common in the wine business”.

WTHK: What are the oldest wines you have in the Maison Latour cellar?

L-FL: “The oldest would be the Corton Grancey 1865 which is a bit unique because it is a pre-phyloxerra wine. But we do not have riches of old vintage wine in the cellar as in the 19^th century most of the wines were sold in barrels. It’s very rare to find a wine in Burgundy from the first half of the nineteen century”.

WTHK: Do you have a preference for red or white when you are drinking wine?

L-FL: “No. I drink Corton Charlemagne of course but I also, for day to day life, like drinking Chablis or Pouilly Fuisse. As for reds, I drink many of everything. But I am like you, my choice of wine to drink depends on the weather, your mood…you know, there are many different factors”.

WTHK: What are your thoughts on the Hong Kong wine business these days?

L-FL: “I first came to Hong Kong in 1988 as my father wanted me to come as Maison Latour first broke into market here in the early sixties and the reason we have always been popular here was because we were the first to come. Now there’s a lot more competition but 40 years ago it was a different ball game. I like Hong Kong because of the mix of Chinese and Anglo-Saxon cultures and the city is vibrant and cultured. But I feel it’s changed a lot since I first came here as a youngster in my twenties and there are a lot of newcomers to the market here”.

Maison Louis Latour wines are available in Hong Kong from Links Concept and can be contacted through their website (www.linksconcept.com.hk) or you can buy the wines on line from www.wineshopasia.com