At the time, it was known as La Roque de By. The de By in the name comes from the location of their vines, which are placed in the de By sector of the appellation. The first part of the name, refers to the large tower that graces the property, which can be seen on the labels. The picturesque chateau was constructed later, in about 1876.
The modern era for Chateau La Tour de By begins in 1965, when the Pages family, along with two other families, the Lapalue and Cailloux families, purchased the Left Bank property. In 1999, the Pages family, headed by Marc Pages purchased the remaining two thirds of Chateau La Tour de By and became the sole owner.
The large, 74 hectare vineyard of Chateau La Tour de By is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The terroir is typical of that part of the region with its gravel based soils. The vines are old at 40 years of age.
The vineyard is planted to a vine density that ranges from 5,500 vines per hectare to 10,000 vines per hectare, depending on the parcel. There is one unique feature to the vineyards of La Tour de By, they occupy the highest elevation from the north of Pauillac to above the St. Estephe appellation.
While the average vine age here is impressive, at close to 40 years, they also have some very old vines that are more than 100 years of age! The vineyards are machine harvested.
To produce the wine of Chateau La Tour de By, vinification takes place in a combination of temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks and oak, wood vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat.
The wine is aged in 30% new, French oak barrels for an average of 16 months. There is a second wine, La Roque de By. The estate also makes a special, high end wine, Cuvee Exception Hommage Marc Pages which comes from the estate’s oldest vines and is most often produced from a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Production is on average close to 40,000 cases of Chateau La Tour de By per vintage.
