Marie-Laure Latorre all-set to run Château de Sales

t the start of September, Marie-Laure Latorre will take up her new position as managing director of the Pomerol property Château de Sales, taking over from Vincent Montigaud for the next harvest season. An agricultural engineer and winemaker, Latorre began her career as a national buyer for the Système U supermarket chain before joining the Bordeaux wine trade and subsequently taking over management of several properties belonging to Vignobles Olivier Decelle.

Within the group, she was tasked with supervising five estates, from Mas Amiel in Roussillon to Domaine Decelle & Fils in Burgundy, Châteaux Jean Faure and Haut-Maurac in Saint-Emilion and the Médoc and Domaine de Boisseyt in the Rhone Valley. According to a press statement, “She was in charge of technical, sales and managerial aspects, providing support for large-scale projects like property restructuring and implementing environmental certifications”.

According to the press release, “her cross-disciplinary approach, combining viticultural rigour, strategic vision and collaborative spirit”, were what convinced executives at Château de Sales to hire her. The winery’s chairman, Nicolas de Lambert des Granges, also commended outgoing director Vincent Montigaud who ran the property for seven years. One of Château de Sales’ defining features is that it has belonged to de Lambert des Granges’ family since 1578. Located in Pomerol, the vineyards cover 47 hectares surrounding the 17th-century chateau.