Learn everything about Chateau Pierre de Lune St. Emilion with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, and information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Pierre de Lune in Saint Emilion is possibly the smallest of the popular, Grand Cru Classe vineyards in the appellation. This tiny 1 hectare, vineyard belongs to the long-time, previous Regisseur of Clos Fourtet, Tony Ballu.
Chateau Pierre de Lune Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The Right Bank vineyard of Chateau Pierre de Lune is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Pierre de Lune has a terroir of sand and gravel soils. The vines are planted at a density of 6,600 vines per hectare. The average age of the vines is a very, respectable 32 years of age.
Since 2007, the Saint Emilion vineyard of Pierre de Lune has been farmed using 100% biodynamic farming techniques. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with a 26-day cuvaison which is punctuated by daily pigeages.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in 50% new, French oak barrels. The wine of Chateau Pierre de Lune is aged in 50% new, French oak for 15 months.
The Best Vintages of Chateau Pierre de Lune are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005.
Tony Ballu, the owner of Chateau Pierre de Lune is dedicated to producing the finest Bordeaux wine possible at Pierre de Lune. To prove this, he declassified the majority of the Bordeaux wine he tried to produce with the 2008 vintage. Tony Ballu decided to do this because he was not happy with the quality he was able to produce in the vintage.
That is a major commitment when your vineyard is only one hectare. Chateau Pierre de Lune can be difficult to find, as only 200 cases of this supple, stylish, Bordeaux wine are produced every year. The owners also operate a small, charm-filled, bed and breakfast on their Saint Emilion property, giving guests a chance to experience life in a vineyard.
When to Drink Chateau Pierre de Lune, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Pierre de Lune is better with at least 4-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Chateau Pierre de Lune is best enjoyed in the first 5-18 years of life.
Young vintages can be decanted for about 1 hour, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Serving Chateau Pierre de Lune with Wine and Food Pairings
Chateau Pierre de Lune is best when served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Pierre de Lune is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Pierre de Lune is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
Château Pierre de lune Wine Tasting Notes
17 Vintages 43,623 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
2021
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Round, ripe and polished, the wine is loaded with espresso, chocolate, black cherry and plums. Soft, forward and ready-to-go on release. Drink from 2023-2034. 89-91 1,593 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
2020
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Incense and toasty oak, along with juicy ripe plums, licorice and flowers are what you initially notice. Medium-bodied, round, polished, soft and fleshy, with spicy overtones to the red fruits and oak on the palate and in the supple-textured finish are what you find here. 90-92 Pts 1,725 Views Tasted May 20, 2021 |
2019
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
With a nice depth of color, the wine is round, lush forward, soft and polished with toasted oak, espresso, dark cocoa and ripe, sweet, black plums on the nose and palate. Give this a few years in the cellar to better integrate. Drink from 2023-2038. 1,271 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Deeply colored, with dark red fruits, espresso beans, smoke, spice and licorice on the nose. The palate is round, lush, fresh and juicy. The oak is a bit prominent at the moment, as are the tannins. But with 5 years in the cellar, everything should come together nicely. 90-92 Pts 2,954 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
2018
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Powerful, rich, lush with an oaky lean to a sweet and fleshy, licorice and cocoa round, plush finish. The wine is a blend of 85% Merlot with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. 91-93 Pts 1,602 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
2017
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
With an oaky presence the wine is round, supple, ripe and polished, making it easy to drink on release, so you can enjoy its lush fruity charms early. 1,465 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
2016
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Blackened fruits, espresso, dark chocolate with cherry liqueur are molten and flowing. Fat, juicy and sweet, this is forward, opulent and dense. Using 100% Merlot, the wine was produced from very low yields of 11 hectoliters per hectare. 1,682 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
2015
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Medium-bodied with a focus on its fresh, soft, ripe plums, flowery essence and supple textures. 1,313 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2016 |
2014
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
From 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this medium-bodied, fresh wine centers on a lush, cherry and cocoa core. This should be drinkable on release. 89-91 Pts 1,482 Views Tasted Apr 27, 2015 |
2013
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc produced a forward, soft, approachable and round wine brimming with smoke, fennel and red plums. 87-89 Pts 1,211 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2014 |
2012
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Minerality, smoke, earth and fresh berries with round textures and a jammy, cocoa- and berry-filled finish are found in the wine. 89-91 Pts 1,352 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2013 |
2011
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
One of the smaller St. Emilion vineyards at just 1.05 hectares, the wine was produced from a blend of 90% Merlot%, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and reached 13.5% ABV.. Flowers, black raspberry and spice make up this medium-bodied, soft-textured wine with a soft, sweet, red cherry-filled finish. 89-90 Pts 1,385 Views Tasted Apr 24, 2012 |
2010
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Pierre de Lune is owned Tony Ballu, the wine maker for Clos Fourtet. This small, 1 hectare, biodynamically farmed vineyard is planted on sand and gravel soils. From a mix of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine reached 14% ABV, which is lower than what they achieved in 2009. With scents of jammy black raspberries, stone and licorice, this round textured wine ends with a licorice and sweet, black cherry finish. 91-93 Pts 2,334 Views Tasted Apr 22, 2011 |
2009
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
2009 Pierre de Lune. The property is owned Tony Ballu, winemaker for Clos Fourtet. The small (1 hectare) biodynamically farmed vineyard is planted on sand and gravel. From 90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc, the wine offers black and blue fruit aromas coupled with licorice and espresso notes. Full bodied with round textures, this rich wine ends with supple, jammy dark berry flavors. 92-94 Pts 2,910 Views Tasted Jun 29, 2010 |
2008
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Not a wine you see often, which is too bad, but I really like it. Round, supple, ripe and filled with lush black cherries, licorice and chocolate, with truffle accents, this is drinking quite well today. 1,404 Views Tasted Sep 16, 2020 |
2006
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Ready to go, but in no danger of running out of steam, the medium-bodied wine is lush, round, fruity, and packed with smoke, espresso, dark cocoa, deep, red pit fruit, licorice and opulent tannins. 1,939 Views Tasted Aug 29, 2021 |
2005
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Nice wine, soft, silky, polished with the right amount of licorice, cherry and truffle too. This is close to fully ready, so if you are waiting, wait no longer. 3,626 Views Tasted Jul 17, 2018What a pleasure to taste. Silky, almost luxurious in nature on the palate. The fresh sweet, dark fruits were in full force on nose as well, accompanied by licorice, dark chocolate and smoke. The endnote on the finish continued the theme. Popped and poured, this was just great from the moment the wine hit the glass, through to the last drop. 2,620 Views Tasted Dec 16, 2017Mature, with an earthy, truffle, cocoa, black cherry, licorice and smoke filled nose, this round, open wine is ready to drink. 2,807 Views Tasted Jun 28, 2015Ready to drink, this charming, elegant, medium bodied wine is all about the truffle and fresh cherry notes, with plush textures. As good as this is, it's not a wine for aging. I'm going to drink my remaining bottles over the next 5 years. 2,768 Views Tasted Oct 13, 2014This is described as eating perfectly ripe, sweet, polished blackberries with drops of licorice and chocolate off your table. There is not a hard edge to be found in this sexy, elegant, stylish wine. With a very small production, this will become very hard to find. 2,783 Views Tasted Jun 24, 2007 |
2004
Château Pierre de Lune (St. Émilion Grand Cru)
Light in color and fruit, with simple red fruits, spice and earth, this needs to be drunk up sooner than later. 1,397 Views Tasted Nov 30, 2014 |