Louis Latour - Cooperage

Tradition
The reputation of the great wines of Burgundy depends, to a large extend, upon the quality of the barrels in which those wines will spend the initial twelve months of their ageing. Ever since the seventeenth century several of Beaune's wine merchants have themselves been barrel-makers. To this day, the cellarman whose expertise guides the wine through its " élevage " is fully aware of the importance of carefully maintaining the cask to ensure the harmonious ageing of the wine. My grand-father, in the early years of this century was however, not content		content to merely repair the oak barrels as most still do in Burgundy today. He decided to build them himself and even went as far as to purchase a forest east of Beaune on the plain of the river Saône to supply his cooperage with the precious oak needed for these barrels. We maintain the tradition to this day employing techniques in the barrel-making shop which have changed little since the middle ages. Maison Latour produces today more than 2000 barrels of which half are exported to the best wineries in the world.

Selection
Rolling out the barrel A step by step guide to building the perfect "Pièce". Quality barrels can only be made from the finest oak. Wood is carefully selected from the forests of Burgundy, the Vosges and Allier regions of France. In these cooler climates slower growth yields a fine-grained, dense heartwood ideally suited to the maturation of Burgundy. It is oak of this nature which satisfies the requirements of porosity, strength and flavor to be imparted to the finished wine.		Initially the staves are cut by splitting the trunks along the grain and then, with no instruments to guide him, the wood-cutter will carefully saw them to shape. There than follows a vital part of the preparation of the staves as they are seasoned outside in stacks for almost three years. There is no short cut to this air-drying process. Through exposure to the elements the wood is purged of its impurities, undesirable odors and those harsher tannins which might otherwise over-power the wine.

Assembling the barrel
Cut to a uniform length and shaved to a slight concave shape, the skilful task of assembling the barrel begins. Once more, it is experience which is the dominating factor for the cooper must select a set of staves which will correspond exactly to the circumference of a 228 liter Burgundy "pièce". The assembled barrel, temporarily held together by sturdy iron rings, is manoeuvred over an intense wood fire for the all important "chauffage". Twenty five minutes over the flame (a medium toasting) is considered ideal.		The interior of the barrel is just sufficiently caramelized to further reduce and soften the tannins without the risk of imparting an undesirable burnt flavor. A Latour policy is that the wood should never be allowed to dominate the natural characteristics of the wines. We rather their qualities be complimented by the discreet application of oak, and it is through careful preparation of this wood that we can ensure the natural personalities of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay transcend.


With the action of heat and controlled pressure applied by the cooper the barrels are slowly coaxed into their more familiar shape. Great care must be taken at this stage not to split the wood. To help the staves yield under the pressure the cooper will apply a little water around the waist of the barrel-its most critical point-increasing the flexibility of the oak. Once cooled, the ends of the barrel will be shaped whilst the top and bottom are measured, cut and fitted by hand.		Protective hoops of young chestnut secured around the outside will safeguard the barrel during future handling in the cellars. Approximately eight man-hours are needed to make each and every barrel. This is a trade still very much alive at Maison Latour where the expertise and judgement of the cooper will never be replaced by robots and assembly lines. The time and trouble taken in continuing the traditional art of barrel-making are, we believe, well worth, the investment