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Chateau La Tour de By

Chateau La Tour de By originates from the estate of Pierre Tizon, Seigneur du Fief de By, who owned this land in the 16th Century. The property, which was known as La Roque de By in these early years, passed from his descendents to Comte Louis de Gramont in 1725, and then to a gentleman named de Lignac and then to Alfred Rubichon in 1860. By this time the tower to which La Tour refers was already in existence, it being a lighthouse built on the site of an old windmill, which was erected in 1825. Not content with this edifice, however, in 1876 Rubichon also built the impressive chateau which still graces the site today. During the 20th Century the property continued to be handed on, first in the ownership of Julien Damoy, under whose ownership the property was classified as a Cru Bourgeois in 1932, before coming to a consortium of owners named Pages, Lapalu and Cailloux in 1965. The first of these three, Marc Pages, subsequently took full control of the property in 1999, and today he runs the estate with his son Xavier.

The vineyards are located in the Médoc, close to the Gironde, on a gravelly croupe. and it covers 75 hectares in total. The vineyard is stocked with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, planted at a density up to 10000 vines/ha, and with an average age of 35 years. There is no green harvesting, and the September harvest is achieved with the use of machine rather than by hand. Perhaps unsurprisingly the yields are on the higher side, up to 70 hl/ha. Once in the chai the wines are fermented in a mixture of vessels, twenty wood and ten stainless steel. They then undergo malolactic in barrel, where they rest for twelve months. Only 20% of the barrels are replaced with each vintage, so there is an appreciable amount of old oak in use here. The grand vin is La Tour de By, and there is a second wine La Roque de By, reflecting the estate's ancient name, with the total output being about 40000 cases per annum.

If one looks back through the writings of some of the leading British commentators on Bordeaux we can see that La Tour de By has its fair share of admirers, and for some seems to be a bit of an old favourite. I have found some pleasure in a bottle of the 1995, but in all fairness I found it rather dry and I hard to work hard to see the good points in the wine. At the very least this isn't a wine that flatters straight from the glass, although I would go further and say here we have an under-performing estate. These wines simply don't give me the pleasure I would expect, and I have a lot of experience in drinking and tasting claret of all styles and at all levels. Put these wines up against some of their Cru Bourgeois peers and they do not shine. At the very least we have no green harvest, machine harvesting and an over-dependence on old oak all of which shows through in the quality of the wine in my opinion. Here is an estate which could do better. (14/6/07)

Contact details:
Address: 33340 Begadan-Médoc
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 41 50 03
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 41 36 10
Internet: www.la-tour-de-by.com

Chateau La Tour de By - Tasting Notes

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Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 2005: A deep, glossy hue, certainly something different on offer here. Sweet cherry fruit on the nose, a cooler, more defined style, although a touch herbaceous. Full, creamy style. More concentrated, creamy. More vigour and interest with this wine, certainly the best in this line-up. Good. 16.5+/20 (April 2007)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 2004: This has a nice, glossy hue, but not a lot of concentration. An appealing nose, raspberry fruit, a little oak. More weight here. Showing better than the 2002 and 2003, a little more full and rounded, with a little soft tannin. Pleasing. But not the most focused, lively of wines. 15.5/20 (April 2007)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 2003: Not a very dense colour, which I find surprising for the vintage. Again this is quite closed on the nose, with only some muted cherry fruit showing. Texture, grippy, with a brown-sugar-gritty creaminess. Not a lot of tannin, also surprising. Good. 15/20 (April 2007)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 2002: Another deep colour, but here a much more closed nose. Nice weight on the palate, a touch green though. Grippy tannins through the middle, a little texture, peppery, and a decent weight for the vintage. But not much in terms of pleasure or vivacity. I get the feeling this isn't showing all it might today, though. 14-15?/20 (April 2007)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 2001: A deep colour, showing some maturity. Attractive aromas on the nose, a mature, claretty, iron-like character. Full style on the palate, quite dry, with firm tannins. A moderate texture and a dry fruit finish. Well knit and fresh, but rather delicate. No vigour. Decent wine. Drink now. 15/20 (April 2007)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 1995: This seemed rather austere and a little lean when tasted three years ago. Has a good colour still. Some dark fruits on the nose. Not a lot of secondary development. Showing an appealing texture through the palate now, with a little flesh, although it retains a firm, upright stance - although no longer would I describe it as austere. As with the nose, little in the way of complexity here, but it does give some pleasure. Short finish. 15/20 (June 2005)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 1995: A good colour, a deep red-purple hue. Good fruit on the nose, with blackberry and bramble fruit predominating. Similar flavours on the palate, with an initial touch of richness, although a hollow, hard character soon becomes apparent. Somewhat austere tannins also begin to dominate. I suspect there is sufficient fruit to outlast these tannins, but will it ever fatten out in the midpalate? From a Cru Bourgeois tasting. 14.5+?/20 (April 2002)

Chateau La Tour de By (Médoc) 1990: A mature, smoky, slightly stewed/roasted fruit nose, with a biscuity edge. It is soft, round and a touch sweet on the palate. Medium bodied. Not a lot of charm. Fully integrated tannins and certainly ready to drink. Red and black fruit flavours. Good length. That roasted character suggests 1990. From a Bordeaux tasting which including an eclectic mix of wines. 17.5/20 (October 2003)