If a picture paints a thousand words, then look no further than Chateau Latour Martilliac’s famous black and gold label. This is one of the most recognisable bottles on the shelf, depicting one of the most recognisable chateaux in Pessac Leognan. And what has made it so famous? Well, that would be the eponymous 12th century tour – tower – that proudly stands sentinel at the estate gates.

The estate is a Bordeaux heavyweight. The wine – famously served at King George VI’s coronation (for which the current label was designed) – is literally made for a king. The estate’s heady history stretches as far back as the late 1800s, when wine merchant Edouard Kressman bought the castle and all its grounds. If the name Kressman sounds familiar, it will be because Kressman dry Monopole was the first negociant wine to be made (and is still sold today).

Despite being on the business end of winemaking, Kressman was not afraid to get his hands dirty. To this day, there are vestiges of the white wine varietals that he planted in 1884. As time moved on, so did the desire to expand the estate and by 1940, Latour Martlliac was being managed by Jean Kressman, Edouard’s grandson. Jean increased his land, giving over most of the new parcels to white grapes. Today, the 45-hectare estate is managed by Jean’s sons (Edouard’s great grandsons) Tristan and Loic. A new generation of Kressmans looks set to soon take over the reins, making Chateau Latour Martilliac a five generation holding.

The terroir at Chateau Latour Martillac is famously bi-polar. 35-hectares of gravel slopes on the Martillac plateau provides exceptional drainage for the estate’s red wines, which is a Bordeaux blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot Noir with 2% Cot or Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. The white vines are planted close to the River Garonne, where the soil is a mixture of clay, gravel and pebbles. 10-hectares are devoted to white, made up in a combination of 40%, Sauvignon, 55%, Semillon 5% Muscadelle. Production is steady at 11,000 cases for the red and 2,500 for the white. Both colours can be drunk young, but optimum aging is between 5-7 years. This means that those looking to invest should see a healthy return in under a decade.