Awards and Accolades

Terry Kirby, Independent.co.uk
"Completely upturning the notion that most claret at this kind of price is a waste of time, this is sensationally good value from a very decent estate in a great vintage. The Merlot-dominated blend delivers ripe, full-bodied, juicy, smooth blackberry cassis flavours. Perfect with a rib of beef or rump steak."

About the Vineyard

Pey La Tour is a model estate at Salleboeuf in the Entre-Deux-Mers, around 15km east of Bordeaux, and has been owned since 1990 by négociants Vignobles Dourthe. Dating back to the 18th century, the vineyards here still contain the ruins of the château which gave the estate its name, and today the vines span 146 hectares.

There are 90 different parcels of vines which are all vinified separately. Clay-limestone soils are used for producing fresh, concentrated merlot whereas compacted gravel plots are ideal for cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

Grapes are vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Dourthe makes two wines under the Pey La Tour label and we buy the Réserve, which is the cream of the crop, aged in barriques for 12 months, 35-55% of which is new oak. The blend is usually up to 90% merlot, with around 5% cabernet sauvignon and small quantities of petit verdot and cabernet franc, producing a wine that is full of ripe fruit and charm.

Impeded by cold weather, flowering was late to start at Pey la Tour, while rain at the end of June caused coulure and millerandage in the widely planted Merlot, which in turn would impact upon harvest volumes. The hot, dry summer saw delayed ripening, but in good conditions. Through excellent management of the vineyard, in terms of controlling disease pressure, vigour and eliminating unevenly ripe grapes prior to harvesting, conditions stabilised in September. The harvest began October 2nd, since changeable weather wreaked havoc with our intake planning. Nevertheless, the vines remained healthy and by modifying our schedules on a daily basis, we were able to harvest healthy grapes. .