Burgundy negociant Louis-Fabrice Latour has died

ouis-Fabrice Latour was the 11th generation of Latours to head up the family business. A prominent Burgundy figure and chair of the Burgundy Wine Bureau (BIVB) from 2013 to 2021, he passed away at the age of 58 on 5 September.

Burgundy has lost one of its most iconic personalities, a Knight of the Tastevin, recipient of the Legion of Honour in 2011, chairman of the Burgundy wine merchants' federation (FNEB) from 2003 to 2014, and from 2011 to 2014, and also chairman of France’s Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters (FEVS).

Louis-Fabrice Latour also stood out for his commitment to ensuring Burgundy’s Cité des Vins came to completion. “He was a man of conviction and great sincerity, with whom you knew right away what to expect”, says his friend Albéric Bichot, director of the namesake company. “We had known each other since childhood and had followed the same path, both of us taking over our family businesses, at around the same time”. He underlined the “immense culture” of a man he viewed as his oldest friend.

Another leading Burgundy figure who knew Louis-Fabrice Latour was Laurent Delaunay. He succeeded him as chairman of the BIVB. “Following Louis-Fabrice's illness, Frédéric Drouhin took over as interim chairman a few months before I was elected to succeed this huge Burgundy figure, both for his imposing physique, that you couldn’t miss, and his personality. He made a point of meeting people and getting to know them, which is why everyone knew him. He was a key figure”, explains Delaunay.