Pomerol’s Château de Sales reveals new managing director

Agronomist and oenologist Marie-Laure Latorre is set to replace Vincent Montigaud as managing director of Chateau de Sales in Pomerol from 1 September, it was announced today. Latorre, who has more than twenty years’ experience in the wine industry as an agronomist and oenologist, will be taking over the management of the estate from 1 September, working alongside the estate's president, Nicolas de Lambert des Granges. Her mission will be to raise the profile of the iconic estate, which has belonged to the same family since 1578, while respecting its identity, its history and its commitments. Latorre succeeds outgoing managing director Vincent Montigaud, who has been at the helm for more than seven years. During his time at the head of the estate, he modernised de Sales’ work in the vineyard and the cellar, bringing additional precision to the wine-making and ageing of its wines through optimising their maturity, as well as increasing the selection for the estate’s grand vin. All of these developments have strengthened the identity and quality of Château de Sales wines in recent years, the company said. Latorre said she was joining the team "with great enthusiasm" and was looking forward to continuing the momentum set in motion by Vincent Montigaud, working with Nicolas de Lambert des Granges. "I can't wait to put my high standards, my energy and my passion at the service of this splendid estate,” she said. Latorre began her career as a buyer for the supermarket chain Système U before moving to the Bordeaux wine trade and taking over the management of several estates for Vignobles Olivier Decelle. There she oversaw five estates in four major French wine-growing regions: Mas Amiel (in Roussillon), Château Jean Faure (in Saint-Émilion), Château Haut-Maurac (in Médoc), Domaine Decelle & Fils (in Burgundy) and Domaine de Boisseyt (in the Rhône Valley). Chateau de Sales’ chairman Nicolas de Lambert des Granges thanked Vincent Montigaud warmly for his work in the preceding eight on behalf of the entire team at Château de Sales and the family and was delighted to welcome Marie-Laure Latorre. "Her vast experience, her taste and talent for making great wines, and her human qualities will enable us to continue, together, the Château de Sales approach to winegrowing that is ever more respectful of the environment, and to produce wines that are even more precise, fruity and elegant,” he said.