Château Tour Baladoz
A century-old vineyard phylloxera never reached. Ungrafted vines, two grapes almost nobody grows any more.
This chateau owns a 100-year-old vineyard that, remarkably, was never affected by Phylloxera vastatrix. The vines have not been grafted onto American rootstocks; they are still authentic, very old French vines. That is why two extremely rare grapes still grow here: Saint-Macaire and Bouchalès.
The chateau and its vineyards lie between Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf. The soils of these chateaux are the same; however, the vinification, the choice of grapes and the quality standards at Chateau Tour Baladoz are fundamentally different. “Le Centenaire” is one of the best wines in the world.
The terroir
The vineyard (9 hectares) faces south. The vineyards lie at an altitude of almost 90 metres. The soil consists of clay and limestone, characteristic of top-level Bordeaux wine. Close to this estate lie other great Crus, including Chateau Pavie, Chateau Larcis Ducasse and Chateau Bellefont-Belcier. To the east of these vineyards are great Crus such as Chateau La Croizille, Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf and Chateau Godeau.
In places the estate reaches an altitude of 90 metres, which guarantees sun and wind so that the grapes can dry quickly. It is worth mentioning that the vineyard has been planted with an excellent selection of vines of outstanding quality. 70% of our vines are planted on a plateau that rests on 2 to 3 quarries. Combined with the limestone, this gives a unique minerality. 30% of the vines are planted on the slope of the valley, where a wonderful diversity of terrain can be observed.
Merlot (70%) thrives on these soils. Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) are planted as well. The past decades have proven that these grapes develop superbly on this terroir.
Pruning
Both in winter and during the growing season, everything is done to obtain grapes of exceptional quality: double Guyot training, repeated leaf removal and shoot thinning. After the harvest the grapes are sorted twice instead of once.
Vinification
The wine is pumped over frequently to extract colour from the skins. This is done at low temperature so that the fruit aromas develop beautifully. Maceration lasts around 4 weeks. Sufficient oxygen is provided (by pouring over) so that the yeast cells and tannins develop well. Malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats under temperature-controlled conditions. The wine then rests for 3 to 4 months, after which it is transferred to oak barrels.