Château LA TOUR DE BY 1943
Located in Bégadan, north of the Médoc appellation and in the immediate vicinity of the Gironde, La Tour de By has very ancient roots . Among its famous owners are Pierre Tizon, Lord of the Fief de By in the 16th century, Count Louis de Gramont in the 18th century, Monsieur de Lignac then his son-in-law Alfred Rubichon who had the current castle built in 1876 near the By-Tower . This small lighthouse, built in 1825 to guide traffic in the estuary, gave its name to the current estate.
From the 1960s, Marc Pagès surrounded himself with the best advice with Professor Emile Peynaud and, now, with oenologists Jacques and Eric Boissenot. Cru Bourgeois Supérieur since 1932, La Tour de By rose to the level of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2003 and is also a member of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux.
The vineyard, recently extended to 109 ha, is spread over 2 large areas :
- In Bégadan, 200m from the Gironde, 65 ha on the gravel ridge of the Tour de By with a grape variety of Cabernet sauvignon (60%), Merlot (35%) and Petit verdot (5%),
- In St Christoly, 44 ha divided between gravel ridge and clay-limestone soil with a variety of Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Franc (5%).
The great wine is produced mainly from grapes from the Tour de By site. On this site, the average age of the vines is 40 years and the planting density of 7,700 vines / ha. The cultivation of vines, respectful of the environment, follows the principles of sustainable agriculture.
