The 2015 vintage at Château La Tour de By: a sure thing!

Diary #4 by Benjamin Richer of Forges du Château La Tour de By: We must thank Nature for giving us a superb late spring last year. After a rather timid appearance of the buds during the second half of April 2015, the great weather settled at the end of May to favour the flowering. It ended in mid-June with particularly dry and sunny weather, exceptional according to meteorologists. Everything was well underway for an exceptional 2015 vintage...

The 2015 harvest at Chateau La Tour de By

Then, July gave us some nice periods of heat, with a few hot days, without knowing the extreme temperatures of 2003. As for August, it was in the same vein with, as at the end of July, the happiness to know some short rainy episodes. They came at just the right time to bring just the right amount of water for the bunches to regain volume. Real assets to complete their maturity accompanied by a very good sanitary state!

In these perfect circumstances, the harvest could start on September 28th, 2015 on the first plots of Merlot. In spite of the rain which could appear at certain moments of the harvest, the grapes, thanks to a thick skin, could continue to mature well. So we were able to take our time and harvest over 3 weeks. The harvest ended with the last Cabernet Sauvignon on October 14th.

Vintage 2015: a true deep and unique "red diamond".

We were therefore able to pick bunches with concentrated, very ripe grapes, with a deep, almost black colour. The meticulous vinification that followed in the heart of our cellars, allowed us to shape this true "red diamond" by giving it this "édeep, unique clat, and reveal with extreme attention its magnificent structure, while privileging the intensity and complexity of its aromas. This precious alchemy within our tuns has been able to translate the richness of our terroir, with crisp fruit and extremely velvety tannins.

Our "coup de cœur" vintages of the domain:

The ByWard Tower 2012

Marc Pagès Cuvée " Prestige " 2013

Vintage 2015 of Château La Tour de By: a legendary vintage like those of 2005 and 2010

We were impressed by the blends that we were able to carry out as early as January 4th with our consultant oenologist, Eric Boissenot : The 2015 vintage is a powerful wine, with fine and elegant tannins, with a lot of breed which makes us think of the mythical 2005 and the inevitable 2010. A straight and precise wine! It already enters in the restricted circle of the legendary years on our family estate of La Tour de By.

Following this observation, it is obvious that this 2015 vintage in Bordeaux will be a sure value and an important wine to have in your cellar if you like exceptional vintages!

Thus, in this type of vintage, the En Primeur purchase will be preferred in order to be sure to have a few bottles and at the best price. At La Tour de By, our loyal customers know this and benefit from a discount of almost 40% compared to the future price of the wine, once bottled. It would be a shame not to do so!

Benjamin Richer de Forges (winemaker at Château La Tour de By)