Château La Tour du Pin Figeac (Moueix), later Château La Tour du Pin for a brief period, is a former
Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...
estate in the
appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938.
In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), in ...
which produced wine up until 2011. The estate was purchased by owners of neighbouring
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Cheval Blanc (French for "White Horse Castle"), is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émi ...
in 2006, who managed the estate as a separate property up until 2011. The estate in effect ceased to exist after this, being absorbed into its grander neighbour.
History
Until 1879, this property was a part of the
Figeac
Figeac (; oc, Fijac) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. Figeac is a sub-prefecture of the department.
Geography
Figeac is on the via Podiensis, a major hiking medieval pilgrimage trail which is part of the Way of St. ...
estate, acquired to form
Château La Tour Figeac, half of which was further sold and divided into two parts, this property and that of
Château La Tour du Pin Figeac (Giraud-Bélivier).
This estate, the smallest of the three, was bought in 1947 by Antoine Moueix, cousin of
J. P. Moueix.
[ The property remained in the hands of the Moueix family until 2006, when it was bought by the owners of Château Cheval Blanc, who adopted the name Château La Tour du Pin. The last vintage made was 2011. The best area of the vineyard (3.5ha) has been absorbed into the Château Cheval Blanc vineyard, and the remainder is currently used to make generic Saint-Émilion.
The estate was rated ''Grand Cru Classé'' in the ]Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
In 1955, the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Médoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 y ...
, but lost this status in 2006,[ ]
Production
The vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s extended , and was considered the more gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
ly of the three La Tour properties, closer to the conditions of neighbours Figeac and Cheval Blanc Cheval blanc or Cheval-Blanc, French for white horse, may refer to:
* Château Cheval Blanc, a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France
* Cheval-Blanc, Vaucluse, in southern France
** Canton of Cheval-Blanc
* Le Che ...
.[
The ''Grand vin'' was typically a blend of 70% ]Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
and 30% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...
, as was the estate's second wine
Second wine or second label ( French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...
, Clos La Fleur Figeac.
References
External links
La Tour du Pin Figeac official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tour du Pin Figeac Moueix, Chateau La
Bordeaux wine producers