Caribbean Producers Jamaica ( CPJ) recently hosted a soiree at the Jamaica Food and Drink Kitchen in Barbican, St Andrew, to showcase its offerings of Louis Latour wines.

Maison Louis Latour Commercial Director Bruno Pepin flew in from France to share his knowledge of the brand.

Pepin described his meeting, in Germany, with CPJ’s former CEO Tom Tyler, who urged him to come to Jamaica. At the time he was sceptical because Jamaica does not have a history with wine. However, Tyler insisted that Jamaica was renowned for its cuisine and that more people were drinking wine and had developed a palate.

The Louis Latour wine business has operated independently as a family enterprise since 1797. Based in the French village of Alex-Corton, Louis Latour has gone on to produce 150 wines a year and has built an impressive portfolio.

Burgundy has set the standard for wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In fact, Burgundy is about 25 per cent the size of that other great wine region Bordeaux.

The Latour family has extensive holdings in Chablis and Beaujolais. Louis Latour uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

In the Côte d’Or, the harvest generally starts around mid-September. At Maison Louis Latour, it often starts a little later to give the grapes a better chance of reaching full maturity. 

Louis Latour covers 150 hectares (vineyards) in Burgundy. 

Do try a bottle or two of this exquisite wine, it comes thoroughly recommended. The Alex-Corton 1er Cru Les Chaillots is exquisite. 

Salut! 

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