Peybonhomme-Les-Tours
Cotes de Blaye, Bordeaux
Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Bordeaux (Premieres Cotes de Blaye)
Certified Organic (ECOCERT) : Biodynamic (Demeter)
Chateau Peybonhomme, one of two chateau’s owned by the Hubert family (Ch. La Grolet) and is among the most important producers in Premieres Cotes de Blaye. One stormy night in December 1999 was the impetus for Jean-Luc and Catherine Hubert to convert their two vineyards to organic and to use biodynamic methods. The storm had winds up to 200 km/hr, uprooted many trees and even damaged the tower of the castle they call home. Jean-Luc describes it as “apocalyptic” and as they listened to the winds howl, the next year they stopped using chemicals and started the transition to biodynamics.
Chateau Peybonhomme is located in Bordeaux’s right bank of the Gironde, near Blaye. This organic/biodynamic vineyard is said to be on the best limestone and clay soils of the region. Jean-Luc Hubert’s desire has always been to create wines which embody the living memory of the terroir. Fifth generation winemaker, indeed, Jean-Luc Hubert is a viticulturist to whom the history and the life of the vineyard and the estate are a vital ingredient of the wine.
Weed killers are banned and products used to treat the vines are limited to sulphur and bacillus thuringiensis. The vines are only fed with natural fertilizer, rock powder, organic compost and green fertilizer. Insects help to reduce the use of fungicides including copper widely used in Organic Agriculture. The strategy focuses on maintaining the biodiversity involving the auxiliary predators of vine parasites. Indirectly, the greater level of biodiversity, the lower the doses of treatment required.
Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours consists of 64 hectares spread over the communes of Cars, Blaye, Plassac and Berson, with South/South-West exposure on the “premiers” slopes dominating the “Gironde” river. 75% Merlot, 10% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet-Franc, 5% Malbec. Average age of vines is 30 years. Manual sorting of the harvest, 100% destemmed, temperature control, approximately 3 weeks of fermentative maceration, the wine is aged for one year in oak barrels before being bottled.
Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Premieres Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux red, their flagship wine, Merlot 75%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%, Cabernet Franc 8% and Malbec 2%. Clay-rich soil with the highly chalky subsoil and moderate yields. Very gentle maceration and fermentation achieved with native yeasts, the wine is aged in barrels.
Wines:
Chateau Peybonhomme-Les-Tours, “Le Blanc Bonhomme” Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux :
- 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Semillon
- 5-year-old vines
- Argilo-limestone soil.
- Grapes harvested manually in small boxes.
- Partial carbonic maceration, soft pressing
- Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts fermentations, daily batonnage for 2 months then bi-weekly.
- Suffers total: 80 Mg/L.
- A great mineral freshness with citrus fruits perfumes. In the mouth, it is a fleshy wine with a very long finish. The semillon tends to dominate the sauvignon, adding great subtlety and complexity.
Le Clairet de Peybonhomme Bordeaux-Clairet (Rose):
- 100% Saignee Cabernet Sauvignon
- Bled in Stainless Steel after 36 hours’ maceration.
- An intense pink color, slight vinosity with aromas of currents, cassis and cherries. 600 cs.
“Quintessence de Peybonhomme” Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux :
The Egyptian strip which decorates the label of the ‘Quintessence de Peybonhomme’ vintage is there to remind you that in the Egypt of the Pharaohs wine was eternal. The grapes come from Chateau Peybonhomme’s oldest vines.
- 85% Merlot and 15% Cabinet-Sauvignon.
- 10,000 bottles.
- A beautiful dusky shade fringed with purple, spicy, vanilla and violet notes with a smoky touch; in the mouth black fruits, licorice and pleasant, velvety tannins.
L’Amour de Risque:
- 100% Cabernet Franc
- Limestone-clay soil
- Sparkling, dry, round, and fruity
- Food and wine pairings: Aperitif, desserts, raw fish
- Cultivation: double guyot pruning, spontaneous winter grassing, tillage in spring. Treatments combining a small amount of Bordeaux mixture with herbal teas such as horsetail and nettle.
- Production: 2300 bottles
- Yield: 25 hl/ha
- Vines: 12 years on average
- Winemaking: Manual harvest in crates in the morning very early to preserve freshness, the afternoon is devoted to gently pressing the grapes. Fermentation at low temperature indigenous yeasts from the estate. Bottled with residual sugars. After fermentation, the wine is disgorged to remove most of the natural deposit.
Rosita Bomba:
- Cabernet Franc, Merlot
- Soil: limestone-clay
- Dry and fruity rosé
- Food and wine pairings: Aperitifs, grills, fish cakes, pizzas, etc…
- Cultivation: double Guyot pruning, spontaneous winter grassing, soil tillage in spring. Treatments combining Bordeaux mixture in small quantities with herbal teas from plants such as horsetail and nettle.
- Winemaking: Manual and mechanical harvests, gentle pressing, light sulphiting, spontaneous fermentation, no fining of the wine, sedimentary clarification in the cold.
- Production: 4,000 bottles
- Yield: 30 hl/ha
- Vines: 30 years on average
Rosita Bomba:
- Cabernet Franc, Merlot
- Soil: limestone-clay
- Dry and fruity rosé
- Food and wine pairings: Aperitifs, grills, fish cakes, pizzas, etc…
- Cultivation: double Guyot pruning, spontaneous winter grassing, soil tillage in spring. Treatments combining Bordeaux mixture in small quantities with herbal teas from plants such as horsetail and nettle.
- Winemaking: Manual and mechanical harvests, gentle pressing, light sulphiting, spontaneous fermentation, no fining of the wine, sedimentary clarification in the cold.
- Production: 4,000 bottles
- Yield: 30 hl/ha
- Vines: 30 years on average
