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Imagine standing before a towering symbol of Bordeaux’s rich history—a château that has stood since the 12th century. That’s Château Latour-Martillac, where the iconic tower in front of the estate gives it a commanding presence and a sense of timelessness. From this very spot, the Kressmann family has been crafting exceptional wines for generations.

The Kressmann name is woven into Bordeaux’s winemaking history. Edouard Kressmann, a well-known Bordeaux wine merchant, began shaping this estate in the late 1800s. In 1936, the family’s label design made its debut on a bottle that would go on to be part of a significant moment in history. The legacy continues to this day with Edouard’s grandsons, Tristan and Loic, managing the estate and ensuring the Kressmann name stays synonymous with exceptional Bordeaux.

The 54-hectare vineyard at Château Latour-Martillac is split between red and white wine grapes, with 45 hectares devoted to reds and 9 hectares planted to whites. The reds—55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and a touch of Petit Verdot—create wines that are bold, structured, and full of life. The white wines, made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, reflect the cool climate of the Garonne River and the clay-limestone soils, producing a wine that’s crisp, refreshing, and beautifully balanced.

The vines here are old, and by that, we mean the Semillon vines are over 130 years old. That’s a history you can taste with every sip. The combination of gravelly slopes for the reds and the clay-rich soils for the whites gives the wine depth and complexity that’s unique to this terroir.

Château Latour-Martillac, a Grand Cru Classé de Graves, has been a benchmark for Pessac-Léognan wines since the Kressmann family acquired it in 1929. Named after its historic tower, the estate is known for producing wines with depth, structure, and longevity. The gravel-rich terroir allows for a perfect balance of elegance and power, and the 2022 vintage exemplifies this, delivering a modern yet timeless expression of the estate’s signature style.

The 2022 Château Latour-Martillac is built for longevity, with its structured tannins and depth suggesting strong cellaring potential. Already showing impressive character, it will continue to evolve beautifully, offering greater finesse and complexity over time.

Aging: The wine is aged for 16 to 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels.

The 2022 Château Latour-Martillac reveals an aromatic bouquet of cassis, blueberry, raspberry, licorice, menthol, iris, and violet. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, offering a perfectly balanced experience with a fleshy mid-palate and seamless texture, culminating in a moderately concentrated and elegant finish.

Cassis, blackcurrants, smoky tobacco, and scorched earth notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Latour-Martillac, a remarkably pure, medium to full-bodied Pessac-Léognan that has a great mid-palate, pure, polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. Based on 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot, it's a brilliant 2022 that should be snatched up by readers. ~97 Jeb Dunnuck

Very polished and focused this year with blackberry and blueberry characters, as well as blackcurrants. Medium body. Fine tannins. Lovely length. ~95 JS

The 2022 Latour-Martillac has a slightly ripe nose than its peers: candied red berry fruit, orange rind, and light loamy aromas percolating through with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite thickly-textured tannins, weighty and powerful with cedar and mocha-infused black fruit on the assertive finish. It lacks a bit of finesse now, but I can see this surprising a few people with the wherewithal to cellar for a decade. ~94 NM-VM

Barrel sample. The wine is ripe, a product of the hot, dry year. But it still manages to retain a fresh, spicy character that will develop as the wood aging moves forward. ~94 Wine Enthusiast