From Tunisia to the Médoc Grands Crus

Diary #2 : I'm going to be the spokesperson for Château de la Tour de By, our family property in the Médoc, even though we are two people who manage this great lady from Bordeaux on a daily basis: my cousin, Frédéric Le Clerc, and myself... But we'll have the opportunity to talk about it again!

The history of our family takes root in Tunisia

Let's start at the beginning: the story of our family has its roots in Tunisia, where my ancestors settled, at the beginning of the French colonization in the 1880s. They quickly fell in love with this country where they created a farm called "Crétéville", in which all types of crops were grown : olive trees, orange trees, cereals, breeding and also vine in particular in Mornag, near Tunis. Their estate was flourishing and developed well. Our grandfather Marc Pagès was one of the last representatives, until 1962, when Tunisia became independent. Our family then returned to France and after two years spent in the Gers on agricultural properties, my grandfather and my great-uncle, Guy Pagès, bought two properties in the Médoc : the Château de la Tour de By and the Château Fourcas-Dupré.

Return to France and purchase of the Château

My grandfather chose to invest in the Tour de By, with two friendly families who were also settlers in Tunisia, for the quality of its gravelly soil, its geographical location and its mild climatic conditions: a terroir 200 m from the Gironde and 15 km from the entrance to the estuary, little risk of frost and hail, in short ideal conditions for making quality wine! A true pioneer of the northern Médoc, passionate about viticulture, driven by a great sense of commerce and customer loyalty, my grandfather had the great good fortune to join the prestigious Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux in the 1970s. This association quickly became an essential rallying point for the beautiful estates of the Médoc, Saint Emilion, Graves and Pessac-Léognan and Sauternes.

Our wines are present on the beautiful tables of the whole world.

Aware from the outset that you have to know your customers to be able to win their loyalty, our grandfather developed his own distribution network for his wines through sales to a particular clientele of passage or at a distance, as well as with the beautiful cellars and fine restaurants, in France and abroad. Thus, the wines of Château de la Tour de By found themselves on the tables of the beautiful restaurants (Le Ritz, l'Assiette Champenoise, Le Taillevent...), in the beautiful cellars and very quickly on the export market, especially to the United States, as early as the 1970s. In the 90s, we concentrated our efforts on the European market, closer and less risky. We now export our wines all over Europe and North America (especially to Quebec). Asia and China? We are historically present in Asia: Laos, Thailand, Vietnam... and we are developing our presence in China. This is a very important market for us, so we are taking the time to do it right as we have always done in new markets, without rushing, and by finding partners who share the same vision as us of a long-term collaboration! On all its markets, our wines stand out for their finesse and regularity; Cabernet Sauvignon allows us to have precise and elegant wines, all in freshness, with acidulous and mentholated notes. The Merlot gives it its charm and roundness which make it very accessible. As for Petit Verdot, it brings its racy power. These are wines that can be kept for a long time, like faithful friends and that do not disappoint. This notion of long term, follow-up and fidelity is very important for us, it is also the red thread of our history and our dynamics.

Our current events? The Grand Tasting of December 4th and 5th in Paris

We will be present at the Grand Tasting Bettane + Desseauve, on December 4th and 5th at the Carrousel du Louvre - stand 112. If you are in Paris, come and meet us, we will be happy to make you discover our wines! Benjamin Richer de Forges (winemaker at Château La Tour de By)