Château Tour Saint Christophe

The château

Tour Saint Christophe was a plain Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, in no classification before 2022. Peter Kwok bought it in 2012, the third of his Bordeaux properties after Haut-Brisson in 1997, and holds it through Vignobles K, which Jean-Christophe Meyrou directs. The vineyard was 6.5 hectares at the purchase; Château Tourans, bought in November 2015, added about 8 more. The list approved in September 2022 made it a Grand Cru Classé, one of the new names on a roll of 71.

The vineyard lies at Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, east of the town, on red clay over asteriated limestone, looking between south and southwest over the Saint-Laurent valley. Part of it is planted on narrow terraces cut into the slope, and about 1.5 kilometers of dry stone wall was rebuilt by hand over 2 years, by the methods of the 18th century, to hold them up. The planting is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, denser on the newer parcels, up to 8,000 vines a hectare for the Cabernet Franc, and the winery works in concrete vats sized to individual parcels. Les Terrasses de Saint Christophe is the second wine, and since 2017 the estate has also made a white, Angela.

At a glance

Appellation

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Commune

Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, east of Saint-Émilion

Classification

Grand Cru Classé in 2022, for the first time

Owner

Peter Kwok, since 2012, through Vignobles K

Direction

Jean-Christophe Meyrou, director of Vignobles K

Vineyard

6.5 hectares at the purchase; about 8 more with Château Tourans, bought in November 2015

Soil

Red clay over asteriated limestone, facing between south and southwest Terroir of Saint-Émilion →

Grapes

Merlot 80%, Cabernet Franc 20%; up to 8,000 vines a hectare on the newer Cabernet Franc

Cellar

Concrete vats sized to individual parcels

Wines

Château Tour Saint Christophe; Les Terrasses de Saint Christophe; Angela, a white, since 2017

The terraces

About 1.5 kilometers of dry stone wall rebuilt by hand over 2 years