In the Cellar
The careful work done in the vines for over a year comes to fruition in the cellar. Here, the wine takes shape, and the terroir expresses itself fully.
Upon Arrival in the Cellar
First, the grapes are picked at optimal ripeness. They are then sorted and destemmed before starting a long maceration. Everything is done to improve the diffusion of aromas and the smoothness of the texture. Inspired by Burgundy, the methods used, such as punching down, help extract color, matter, and fruit. The work in the cellar is a daily thought process, constantly adapted to achieve the desired result. Therefore, we prefer delestage for intensity and pumping over for finesse. Each plot is carefully vinified separately to reveal its own identity, always with supple tannins.
The Ageing Process
While stainless steel is excellent for the traditional cuvée, we use wood for the Vieilles Vignes cuvée. We prefer a long maturation period in concrete tanks for our “Combiaty” vineyard selection in order to intensify the purity of the fruit and the softness of the texture.
Depending on the vintages and cuvées, the wine is made over a period of 6 to 12 months as the final blends come together. The process is carefully monitored each day to achieve the desired goal. This helps preserve the tannic structure, the freshness and the rich aromas of black fruits, as well as the hint of mineral character so typical of the estate’s terroir, underlining the aging capacity of Château des Tours wines.
Everything here exudes respect for the vineyard with the aim to perfect it. In the cellar, we do everything we can to reveal the expression of the great terroir of Château des Tours through our wines
Cyril Sauzon, Cellar Master at Château des Tours.