Château Pey La Tour - Réserve Vieilles Vignes

The first six months of the 2016 growing season turned out to be particularly rainy and warm, replenishing water reserves in the soils which would serve the vines well in forthcoming months. Which was just as well as sunshine set in for the long haul from mid-June, bringing very dry weather until the end of the harvest. The combined effect of available water supplies and favourable temperatures – not too excessive during the day and very cool at night – played an important role in developing the fruit and their aromas during ripening.

The Merlot harvest, the predominant varietal, extended at a leisurely pace until 16 October. The colours are intense and the tannins silky. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, harvested late 19 October, are concentrated and well-structured, having fully benefited from the lovely Indian summer.

Very concentrated, almost black in appearance. The intense bouquet delivers an explosion of black berry aromas, of primarily cherries and blackberries, together with a touch of spice. Full and generous on the palate, structured by delicate, silky tannins, coated in fresh, juicy fruit. The delicately integrated oak accompanies the full-flavoured, lingering finish of this superb, concentrated, fleshy and delicious Pey La Tour Reserve Vieilles Vignes.

88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot

After a cool winter, bud burst came early, with the first sign of green emerging 31 March. Even growth was followed at the end of May by flowering amid favourable weather conditions. The favourable early beginnings continued with a hot and dry summer, facilitating healthy conditions in the vineyard throughout the year. In this mature vineyard, the vines are well-established on clay-limestone soils, and did not suffer from lack of water during the first half of summer. After the rain at the start of August, veraison went well. The grapes were in pristine condition, and we started harvesting in ideal conditions, almost 10 days ahead of schedule, spreading the harvest over 3 weeks to allow the latest ripening grapes to reach perfect maturity.

Deep and concentrated in appearance. Intense notes of black cherries, ripe fruits and spice define the wine on the bouquet. Generous on the attack, the silky wine coats the palate and reveals good structure. Delicately integrated oak, accompanies the savoury, lingering finish of this impressive, concentrated and fleshy Pey La Tour Réserve Vieilles Vignes.

88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot

After a promising start to the year, a dull, gloomy summer meant ripening got off to a slow start. Any worries were lifted towards the end of August with the arrival of exceptional, lasting weather conditions. While the quality of the vintage owes a great deal to the excellent late-season, a vintage of this quality would not be possible without considerable work in the vineyards earlier in the season to ensure pristine quality in the vines and stunning fruit. The Indian summer set in for the long haul in early September, creating optimum conditions for the predominant Merlot to ripen under its own steam, followed by the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Harvesting began October 2nd and remained entirely stress-free, coming to a close October 23rd in ideal weather conditions, creating fruit character, concentration and balance in the different parcels.

“Concentrated and bright in appearance. Intensely fruity on the nose, offering delicately spiced notes, and leading up to the full-bodied, all-encompassing palate, where fresh dark fruits are lifted by appealing freshness and evident, yet silky, tannins. Lovely lingering finish characterised by fruit, spice and the odd lingering tannic note that will soon soften.” 

88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot

At Pey La Tour, like everywhere else, adverse weather conditions disrupted the vintage at the start of the season.We were extremely vigilant, and adopted a sustainable approach to managing the vineyard, to cope with the challenges of relentless disease pressure until mid-July. With the return of good weather at the beginning of August, calm was restored in the vineyard. Veraison was consistent for all varieties, and ideal ripening conditions allowed us to take our time and wait for the ideal picking date. Once again the late-ripening clay-limestone soils of Pey La Tour provided good resistance to vastly fluctuating water availability, and proved their worth.

Really appealing fresh fruit combined with spicy notes typify the bouquet of the Pey La Tour Reserve Vieilles Vignes 2012. The rounded, generous palate is supported by soft, delicate tannins. A delicious, concentrated wine, with a hint of vanilla oak on the very lengthy, savoury, fresh finish

5% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 85% Merlot

In this early, dry vintage, the vines at Chateau Pey La Tour show excellent resistance on this late-ripening, clay-limestone terroir. Despite rather disconcerting sanitary pressure at the beginning of September, as a result of hot and rainy conditions in summer, harvesting took place calmly and collectedly, in favourable weather conditions, from September 15th to October 5th.

Prior to harvesting, we carried out a rather drastic manual selection in the vineyard, to retain only the healthy bunches. In the red wines, the vintage is expressed in a more classical, traditional Bordeaux style, with beautifully textured Merlots and exceptional potential in the Cabernets as a result of fine weather during the harvest.

Very ripe on the nose, fleshy and wonderfully intense, revealing roasted, mocha notes. The wine is generous on the palate, well-balanced, with fine and rounded tannins which are evident but not at all aggressive. The wine is concentrated with a hint of freshness on the finish.

90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc

Nature, which was particularly generous this year, delivered healthy, concentrated and fruit-intensive grapes. The effects of water shortage were tempered by the calcareous-clay soils, and therefore no cause to lament any loss of harvest or wilting of the grapes. The grapes were in perfectly healthy condition, with astonishing balance in the acidity, which reached superlative levels for this dry vintage. Harvesting was both calm and spread out, taking place from 5-28 October.

Dark purple in appearance. The intense, fresh, red fruit aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry characterize the delicately oaked bouquet. The wine is fleshy on the palate and the aromas on the nose increase in intensity, whilst the structure is immediately noticeable. The effect rises like a crescendo and the flavors blend together, the acidity and alcohol form a perfect balance, and the aromas and delicate tannins integrate to perfection. Red fruit notes accompany the wine’s long finish. A great vintage, extremely elegant.

2% Petit Verdot, 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc