Château Tour des Termes: Tasting & Drinking
Coming back to my opening words, St Estèphe is a commune which offers rich pickings for those interested in Bordeaux of character and substance, but with a price tag that looks rather different to that which we might expect. Some of the properties offering this are well known, including the likes of Château Meyney and Château Ormes de Pez, some less so. Château Tour des Termes surely deserves its place among their number, to receive a little more of the appellation’s limelight.
Bordeaux has enjoyed a run of good vintages in recent years, and so it is not surprising that some recent releases from Château Tour des Termes have shown promise for the cellar. These are wines to be taken seriously. From among them I rated the 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2016 vintages most highly, and I would be delighted to find myself pulling the cork on any of these. There is also promise in a couple of lesser vintages, including 2021 and 2017.
I was less enamoured with the 2014 vintage, something of a surprise, as although I have never really been a fan of this vintage St Estèphe was one commune which bucked the trend, turning out better wines in 2014 than it did in 2015, the latter vintage more marked by rain than more southerly parts of the Médoc. And the 2011 seemed rather ho-hum, although a good few years have passed since I last tasted this vintage, and many 2011s are showing better at more than ten years of age than I would have anticipated. Perhaps this is one vintage that would be worth reappraisal?
Nevertheless, for the moment, I advise sticking with the more recent vintages. Although this conclusion comes with the caveat that, with a recent change in ownership, this is perhaps a property which needs ongoing reassessment. Looking at the work undertaken by the O’Connor family and Julien Brustis though, the future for Château Tour des Termes looks very bright. (3/7/24, updated 31/12/25)
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