Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Vines were first planted at Larose-Trintaudon at the end of the 17th century. In 1858, Count Ernest de Lahens built the Chateau and its tower that, to this day, watches over the ocean of vines. The wine estate alternated between periods of success and harder times, the worst being the outbreak of phylloxera that destroyed all French vineyards in 1869.
In the 1960s, the Forners, a renowned Spanish wine growing family, purchased the estate. Under the scientific authority of Professor Emile Peynaud, a prominent vine and wine specialist, the property regained its former stature, in particular following the planting of 430 acres of the best grape varieties.
The benefits of this work were reaped twenty five years later, with the 1986 vintage of Chateau Larose-Trintaudon. This was when the Assurances Générales de France, confident in the estate's potential, invested in the property and then in the Chilean estate Casas del Toqui in 1994. Since then, year after year, the estate's teams have worked in the four century-old tradition while also looking forward to the future and implementing a policy of sustainable development.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.