[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  BICENTENNIAL OF MAISON LOUIS LATOUR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER DEUTSCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 1997

  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the bicentennial 
celebration of Maison Louis Latour of Beaune, France. Since the winery 
was first established back in 1797, seven generations of Louis Latours 
have succeeded to the head of the family business. Over these 200 
years, the Latour family has become known throughout the wine industry 
as a prominent leader in the trade. Through the ingenuity and 
leadership of the Latour family, Maison Louis Latour has achieved 
remarkable success throughout the world and in particular in the United 
States.
  Since the beginning of the 17th century, the Latour ancestry has been 
grower, cooper and wine merchant in Aloxe-Corton, the famed vineyard 
region in the heart of the burgundy countryside. In the mid-18th 
century, Louis Latour built up the family business and established 
himself in Beaune as a ``negociant en vins fins,'' shipper of fine 
wines. Within a few years, he owned 15 hectares of the best vineyards 
in Aloxe-Corton.
  Today, the Latour estate consists of 125 acres--a collection of 
vineyards stretching from the appellations of Chabertin and Romanee 
Saint-Vivant in the Cote de Nuits to Chevalier-Montrachet in the Cote 
de Beaune. The family continues to run the company and remains true to 
the local, loyal, and constant traditions of burgundy.
  Having been represented in the United States since before the turn of 
the century, Maison Latour, in 1985, established an American 
subsidiary, Louis Latour USA Inc. This company has helped generate jobs 
not only at the subsidiary, but also for professionals working with 
Louis Latour across the United States in the distribution and marketing 
of their fine wines.
  In addition to the celebration of their bicentennial, I commend Louis 
Latour on their recent admittance into the exclusive Henokiens Club, a 
renowned international club of family run businesses. Louis Latour met 
the criteria that allows them to be members of this club, namely, a 
company that is in sound financial health, a company that has been in 
business for at least 200 years, and, a company that continues to be 
run by members of the original family.
  I congratulate Louis Latour on being one of the oldest names and most 
prestigious in burgundy. The completion of 200 years of history without 
an unbroken line from father to son is something exceptional. I wish 
you the best on this remarkable occasion and know that you will 
continue to make the wine industry proud for generations to come.

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