Château La Tour de By, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Magnum, 2018   

Grapes: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot aged in oak for 12 months (25% new wood). Sandy gravel soil. Average vine age: 40 years. Yield: 50hl/ha

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Deep cherry red with smudgy rim. Open and fragrant with cassis and light notes of cedar and spice. Archetypal Cabernet-dominant left-bank bordeaux on the nose. On the palate, lots of tannin tension and an elegant structure even if it needs time. Not a blockbuster but attractive for its balance and potential elegance. Cedary, lead-pencil aftertaste. (JH)"

16/20 points, Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, October 2020

"A great success for this vintage! I am convinced that this 2018 will rank among the best vintages of Château La Tour de By. Even though it tastes particularly good now, this superb Bordeaux has yet to reveal all its secrets. A 94-hectare family estate, Château La Tour de By is located on a ridge of Gironde gravel, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary. It produces distinguished, well-structured wines renowned for their aging potential. This one has an inviting and expressive nose, revealing aromas of blackberries, blueberries, black cherries, vanilla, anise, and mocha, which gradually give way to saline and mineral notes. On the palate, it is complex Médoc with a velvety attack, both ample and full-bodied. The overall wine enjoys a beautiful balance and is enhanced by a pleasant freshness."  Drink 2022-2028

91/100 points, BACCHUS MAGAZINE (Canada)

Estate: The chateau has a very long history dating back to 1599 and, four centuries later, in 1999, Marc Pagès, an agricultural engineer by training, became the sole owner of the property. Of Cru Bourgeois status since 1932, Château La Tour de By was promoted to the rank of Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in the 2003 classification. The desire to produce top-of-the-range wines was rewarded in 1977 by the entry into the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. The chateau is now run by Marc's grandchildren.

Since 2015, Château La Tour de By has been certified "High Environmental Value" Level 4. This level, the highest in the category, guarantees the control of many environmental parameters. Alternative techniques to the use of chemicals are systematically preferred. Also in the same year it was decided to be part of the "Natura 2000" programme, thus preserving a high level of biodiversity in the area.

Food Match: Serve at 17°C. Perfect with flank steak à la bordelaise, grilled rack of lamb, filet mignon, roast duck breast, or peppered beef tournedos.