The LURTON FAMILY HERITAGE of WINEMAKING Comes Together for the FIRST Time in a REUNION WINE Event by Philip S. Kampe

When you mention the name LURTON in the wine world, it seems that everybody has a different response. Obviously with 15 FAMILY members in the wine business and 12 present at the LURTON REUNION at Restaurant BENOIT in Manhattan, it is hard to focus on just one of the winemakers talents in the LURTON Family.

Imagine what the name LURTON means to the WINE WORLD. On one afternoon I tasted wines from the following Family Members who were present at this "Once In A Lifetime Reunion Event" in New York:
BEARENICE Lurton
JACQUES Lurton
FRANCOIS Lurton
THIERRY Lurton
MARC Lurton
CHRISTINE Lurton de Caix
PIERRE Lurton
ANDRE Lurton
MARIE-LAURE Lurton
GONZAQUE Lurton
DENIS Lurton
SOPHIE Lurton

"THE LURTON FAMILY NAME IS ALSO A LEGITIMATE WINE BRAND" says JACQUES Lurton. The LURTON du VIN Family history started in the 1880's and is blossoming today.

At the Event I tasted 27 Red Wines, 5 White Wines, 3 Roses and 2 Barsac-Sauternes.

The wines were produced in 7 different countries that included FRANCE, ARGENTINA, CHILE, PORTUGAL, URUGUAY, SPAIN and AUSTRALIA.

What I learned was that the LURTON Family Members are all EXCEPTIONAL WINEMAKERS. From smaller plots to WORLD DOMINATION by Francois Lurton (his wines are made in 5 countries), the QUALITY and PRICE ratio create Consumer Awareness regarding the LURTON Legacy.

According to the LURTON Family, "You won't find a group like ours, anywhere else.
We're the ONLY family in the world to have so many of its members all working in the wine industry. While each has their own individual business, synergies between these different branches of the family tree naturally occur from time to time. By working together, like this, we like to think we're giving those within our industry a clearer insight into our Individual differences, in terms of who we are and what we do. Our Family's involvement in such a high caliber range of business activities makes us extremely PROUD of what we produce. We're delighted to share our passion for wine with you".

LUCIEN and ANDRE LURTON, with very distinct personalities have influenced the way the LURTON Family has expanded.

ANDRE gave up ownership of the Estate to his heirs. His two sons, JACQUES and FRANCOIS, commonly known as the 'FLYING WINEMAKERS from LURTON', have taken on the International scene. Together, they have opened wineries in LANGUEDOC, SPAIN,
PORTUGAL, URUGUAY, ARGENTINA, CHILE and AUSTRALIA. LUCIEN distributed his properties to his TEN children in 1992. He took the complex task of dividing his properties among his children very seriously. Each family member received a portion of several Chateau's.

Personality, respect for nature, high standards, independence and performance are the
essential characteristics of the LURTON Family. The LURTON Family has found the right balance between affordable wines of reliable quality and limited production versus terroir customer driven wines.

A true example are the wines of FRANCOIS LURTON. FRANCOIS is the owner of FIVE unique wineries in FIVE different countries in both hemispheres in the world. His passion includes the desire to make fine wines that reflect their unique terroir.

Among FRANCOIS Wines that I will review in a later article are:
LE PAS DE LA MULE 2007 AOC Cotes du Roussillon Villge (France)
PIEDRA NEGRA 2008 MENDOZA (Argentina)
ALKA 2007 COLCHAGUA VALLEY (Chile)
QUINTA BIERA DOURO 2008 DOC (Portugal)
CAMPO ELISEO 2008 DO TORO (Spain)

When you purchase wines from the LURTON Family, you are purchasing a piece of HISTORY!

PHILIP S. KAMPE
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com