Louis Latour

Pruning

January

Pruning. Pruning in Burgundy will not traditionally begin until after the feast of Saint Vincent (the patron saint of vignerons) on January 22nd. All the vines at Domaine Latour are pruned in the Single Guyot method. This lengthy but important process is essential to the cycle of the vine as it ensures low yields and allows us to regulate and improve the fruiting. The principle is to keep the vine close to the ground with only two branches being retained each year.

By carrying out a short pruning Domaine Latour is able to control the yield of the vine and thus improve the quality of the forthcoming harvest.

Grafting

February

Grafting. Since the outbreak of phylloxera, all vines at Domaine Latour have been grafted onto resistant American rootstocks. The scion of a chosen grape variety is grafted onto the rootsock by machines which craft an Omega shape into them, ensuring a perfect bond.The joined sections are then immersed in sand or saw-dust for 2-3 weeks, in our nursreies just outside of Beaune, after which the union should be complete.

The Rising of the sap

March

The rising of the sap. This will start to take place and the vine may appear to be shedding " tears" on very warm days. The apppearance of this phenomenon is linked with the lengthening of the days and warmer temperatures. This is the first sign of new life from the old vines after winter dormancy.

Ploughing back & Planting

April

Bud Burst. The buds will begin to push and growth will be observed in the warmer areas.

Ploughing back begins. This reverses the earthing-up process of the previous autumn. The earth piled up around the base of the vine is now pushed towards the spaces in between the vines. The breaking up of the hard-crusted earth allows fertiliser to enter and destroys the weeds.

New vines are planted. Every year at Domaine Latour we will replant one hectare of our 50 hectares with year old plants lifted from the nursery.

Pest and Disease Control

May

Pest and Disease Control. Whenever possible, we will introduce natural predators to combat insects and disease. This integrated environmental philosophy, "lutte raisonnée", was introduced at Domaine Latour in the early 1990s, as one of the pioneers, to ensure a better biological balance within each vineyard.

Removal of unwanted shoots (évasivage). This is the removal of small shoots that may have appeared on the base of the vine to ensure that the vine's energy is focused into the selected shoots and canes.

Pulling-back (relevage). The trimming of unruly growth between the two middle training wires.

Flowering

June

Flowering (fleuraison). The shoots will now start to produce flowers which will eventually become the grapes. In ideal conditions i.e. sun and warmth, the flowering will last between 3 and 5 days. A good quick flowering will ensure a good and healthy crop. Traditionally it is 100 days from flowering to harvest and this is the first indication of quality in the formation of forthcoming fruit set or bunches. This is immediately followed by pollination which is relatively rapid as the vine is a self-pollinating plant.

Disease control. The vines are sprayed with preventative treatment for oidium and mildew. The local Agricultural Warning Station issues advice to producers on how best to combat diseases and pests and warn of a prevalence of either. At Domaine Louis Latour only organic fertilisers are used. All treatments are applied in respect of biological balance and consideration for the environment.

Trimming-back & Canopy Management

July

Trimming-back (rognage). Trimming the tips of the shoots of the vine will start in order to concentrate the vine's energy into the grapes

Canopy Management (effeuillage). At Domaine Latour the vignerons will tend to the vines with small secateurs in order to individually tailor each and every vine .

This rare but effective system of leaf management allows the grapes crucial exposure to sunshine during this key period of ripening. This also allows for a greater passage of air through the vine canopy which helps to prevent spoilage by rot after the presence of rain.

Colouring of fruit

August

Colouring of fruit (veraison). This is when the grapes swell and soften and in the case of Pinot Noir, the tightly packed cylindrical bunches change colour from green to blue-black.

Green Harvest (vendange verte). This is the early harvesting of grape bunches that are unlikely to reach full maturity in time for the harvest in September. This is a quality measure employed by Domaine Louis Latour to ensure that only the best grapes remain on the vines and thus ensure a low yield of only the highest quality fruit.

The harvest

September

The harvest (vendange). this is the high point of the year. Harvesting may begin once the "ban de vendange" has been lifted, usually in the middle of September. At Domaine Latour we often harvest a little later so as to give the grapes the greatest chance of reaching perfect maturity.

Domaine Latour employs an extra 120 people to help us out with the harvest which gives us the advantage of waiting until optimum ripeness in the grapes before setting this extra workforce in motion. The grapes are then hand-picked into traditional wicker baskets, carried through the vineyards and then transported to the winery by tractor. All of these grapes will then be vinified at the winery of Château Corton Grancey in Aloxe Corton. The harvest normally takes about ten days.

Clearing

October

Harvesting ends. The pips and skins from the press are thrown out into the vineyards to act as a type of fertiliser or are distilled into Marc..

Clearing. The ground is prepared for any new plantings or replantings.The soil is trenched down to 0.5m in order to break up the soil and clean it of weeds.

Dormancy period begins. The leaves begin to fall and the vine prepares for the winter months.

Preparatory pruning

November

Preparatory pruning. The vignerons pass through the vineyards with secateurs and remove last years growth whilst leaving two shoots for the following year.

Disposing of old canes (sarmentage). The old canes and unwanted shoots are deposited in specially adapted wheelbarrows. These unique barrows have a small fire burning beneath them, allowing the ash to fall onto the ground as a type of fertiliser and also serve to keep the vigneron warm.

Earthing up (Buttage). The final soil preparations are carried out with the earth being banked up against the lower parts of the vine to protect them from frost and is very important for the new vines in order to protect the grafts. At Domaine Latour this is done by special tractors (enjambeurs) that are able to straddle the vines.

Soil replacement

December

Soil replacement (Remontage). Important topsoil which may have washed down the hill during the year due to heavy rainstorms is physically transported to the top of steep hillsides.Traditionally this was done by hand and wheelbarrow but is now assisted by heavy bull-dozer trucks.