2016 Now finished: Château LA TOUR DE BY. Médoc, Bordeaux (Half Bottle)

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot; matured for 16 months in French oak barrels (30% new oak).

With a history going back to the 1700s, this large (75 hectare) estate has been fully owned by Marc Pages since 1999. The tower on the label is a former lighthouse, still standing in the vineyards, previously used to guide ships on the Gironde. The location is close to the estuary, a few miles north of Saint-Estèphe.

“Deep crimson. Plenty of dark, savoury fruit and thick chewy tannins. Really quite challenging now but there’s richness and depth of fruit to give the tannins time to soften.” Julia Harding MW writing in 2018, on jancisrobinson.com