Learn everything about Chateau Pey La Tour Bordeaux Superieur with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Pey La Tour History, Overview
What we know of as Chateau Pey La Tour today actually dates all the way back to the 1700s when it was developed by the Seigneurie family. At the time, the property was known as Chateau Clos de la Tour. The modern era for Chateau Pey La Tour however begins quite recently.
It started in 1990 when the estate was purchased by the Dourthe group, which also owns the well-known negociant company, CVGB, and several other vineyards all over Bordeaux in the Left Bank, St. Emilion, and Pessac Leognan.
At the time, the property was only 25 hectares of vines. As you can see, the owners have dramatically increased their holdings.
Chateau Pey La Tour Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The massive 200-hectare vineyard of Chateau Pey La Tour is located in the Entre Deux Mers appellation, not too far from Chateau Reignac.
The vineyard is close to 135 hectares planted with vines. The remainder of the estate is devoted to greenery, forests and gardens. The vineyard is planted to 95% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
The terroir is sand, clay, and limestone soils. However, as you would expect, with such a large surface area, the soils vary quite a bit. In fact, the vineyard is divided into 90 parcels. The vines are planted to a vineyard density of 5,500 vines per hectare.
The picking is done using a combination of machine harvesters and manual pickers. The wine of Chateau Pey La Tour is vinified in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. The wine is aged in a combination of 33% new, French oak barrels, and amphora. The wine is aged in total of between 12 to 15 months before bottling.
Chateau Pey Latour Reserve comes from the best parcels of vines. While Pey La Tour comes from their sandier terroir, where the gravel is also lighter, Pey La Tour Reserve uses grapes planted in their deeper clay, limestone soils, and gravel terroir, which has larger, rocks and stones.
The blend for the Pey La Tour Reserve is also different, as here, you usually find 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. However, there are also some vintages with a very small amount of Petit Verdot in the mix as well.
Chateau Pey La Tour produces three wines. Chateau Pey La Tour AOC Bordeaux, Chateau Pey Latour Reserve du Chateau Bordeaux Superieur (Their top wine) and a rose’.
The average annual production of Chateau Pey La Tour is quite large at close to 85,000 cases of wine per vintage.
The best vintages of Chateau Pey La Tour are: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2009.
The wines of Chateau Pey La Tour are sold as Bordeaux, or Bordeaux Superieur.
When to Drink Chateau Pey La Tour, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Pey La Tour is better with at least 2-3 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for up to 1 hour, helping the wine soften to help develop the aromatic character.
Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Pey La Tour offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 3-10 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Pey La Tour with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Pey La Tour is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Pey La Tour is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Pey La Tour is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
Château Pey La Tour Wine Tasting Notes
13 Vintages 44,001 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2022
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Medium-bodied, soft, red berry oriented wine with a touch of spice and freshness at the end. This will be ready to go on release, and will be at its best over the next few years. Drink from 2025-2030. 89-91 Pts. 2,048 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2021
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Not overly complicated, but the plums and cherries are soft, sweet, and fresh, leaving you with earthy black cherries and a chalky finish on the backend. You can enjoy this with pleasure on release. Drink from 2024-2032. 260 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Light, bright, forward and fresh, with a core of red cherries and herbs, drink this medium-bodied wine on the young side for all of its early charm. Drink from 2023-2028. 86-88 1,473 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2020
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Flowers, espresso, cocoa, cherries, plums and a hint of chocolate greet your nose easily. Medium-bodied, fresh, round and supple, this is already delicious in your glass. Drink from 2023-2034. 1,311 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023Dark, juicy and fruity with a blast of black cherries on the nose. The wine is medium-bodied, round, ripe and lush with accents of chocolate, spice and espresso in the finish. This should drink just great on release. 89-91 Pts 2,172 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
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2019
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Floral in character with wet earth, smoke and plums, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, fresh, round and fruity with loads of sweet, ripe cherries and plums along with a touch of chocolate and coffee bean in the finish. Drink from 2022-2033. 1,059 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Forward, medium-bodied, fresh and juicy, with stony, ripe, sweet cherries, licorice and espresso to finish it all off. 89-91 Pts 3,457 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2018
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Ripe, fruity, forward and loaded with licorice, chocolate, black cherries and dark plums, the wine is round in the mouth, soft in the finish and will be easy to enjoy on release. 89-91 Pts 2,858 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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2018
Château Pey La Tour (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Medium bodied, sweet, fresh and fruity with herbs, licorice and olive accents and a dusty finish. You can drink this on release, or wait a year or 2 before pulling a cork. 1,475 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021 |
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2017
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Round, forward and fleshy with sweet fruits, soft tannins and a chocolate-covered plum finish. You can enjoy this on release. 2,697 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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2016
Château Pey La Tour (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Medium bodied, soft, elegant and silky, fresh and fruity, the wine has sweet red fruits with just a touch of licorice in the finish. You can drink this for pleasure on release. 2,364 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019Forward, open, plummy with fresh, juicy, dark cherries, licorice and a hint of cocoa in the medium bodied finish. 2,968 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
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2015
Château Pey La Tour (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Fresh, forward and soft in character, the sweet, ripe, black raspberry and dark cherry core of fruit carries through from start to finish. 2,570 Views Tasted Apr 30, 2016 |
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2014
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Forward, early drinking, medium bodied styles wine, with sweet, ripe black cherries, cocoa, tobacco, thyme and earthy nuances. 1,661 Views Tasted Jul 10, 2017 |
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2012
Château Pey La Tour (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Fresh, forward and soft in character, the sweet, ripe, black raspberry and dark cherry core of fruit carries through from start to finish. 2,493 Views Tasted May 25, 2016For consumers looking for value, this Bordeaux Superieur packs a lot of flesh, ripe jammy berries, flavor and silky textures for the money. 87-89 Pts 3,840 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2013 |
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2010
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Pey La Tour is a fun, simple, uncomplicated easy to like 90% Merlot based wine available for a fair price. 86-88 Pts 4,527 Views Tasted Apr 22, 2011 |
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2009
Château Pey La Tour Réserve du Château (Bordeaux Supérieur)
Simple, early drinking, value price, soft, medium bodied, Bordeaux Superieur that will be at its best during its black raspberry driven youth, 4,768 Views Tasted Jan 2, 2015 |
