Some history
This wine estate was originally part of the grounds of a 13th century tower situated in Soussans. Today, all that remains is some ruins of the former fortified site that was built to protect the lord Jehan Colomb while he was staying on his land. This tower remained the property of the Colomb family until 1390 after which several illustrious local families owned it: the Durforts, the Garros and then the lords of Mons in 1488.
Their last of the line, Thérèse, married the son of the great author Montesquieu in 1740. Their descendants kept the title of Lord of Soussans until the French Revolution.
In 1972 Lucien Lurton bought the tower and vineyards from the Clauzel family. As the new owner, he did everything necessary in order to re-establish the wine estate, while supervising his other properties.
In 1992, his daughter, Marie-Laure, took over the management of La Tour de Bessan. With her degree in wine making and armed with 6 years of experience on her father’s estates, she knew each of its vineyard blocks like the back of her hand.
Her first investments were in the vineyard: increasing the height of the trellising, vine replacement, uprooting certain vines and replacing them. She also invested in the wine making side of the château: in 1999 a building from 1934 was renovated and redesigned in order to house the ergonomic cellars, a barrel maturation cellar and a tasting room.
This contemporary building, beautifully designed by the architect Vincent Defos du Rau from Toulouse, is a reflection of the dynamic spirit of the wine estate as well as the quality of its wines.
