Chateau des Tours - Famille Richard Vacqueyras Reserve 1995

In the heart of the Beaujolais appellation, Château des Tours has 70 hectares of vines in the communes of Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne, Odenas and Saint-Lager. The exceptional terroir of Mount Brouilly, which contains pink granite soil, gives these wines a unique heartiness that is greatly sought after by specialists. The Chateau itself originated in 1331, when Guichard VI le Grand, Lord and Baron of Beaujolais, who is the first recorded owner of the land. It was inhabited by several different noble families over the coming centuries before being purchased by its current owners in 1986, who renovated the property and transformed it into a modern vineyard. Some of the vines currently in use date back over 80 years, and the region itself has been cultivated for wine-growing since Roman times. Each year, more than 100 grape-pickers meet at the estate for around 15 days of harvesting by hand. The entire team stays on-site in the Château’s gîtes, which have been beautifully restored to retain the site’s authenticity. Château des Tours is part of the 8 estates (totaling 800 hectares) belonging to the Richard’s family, along with Château des Corcelles, Château La Nerthe, Domaine de la Renjarde, Domaine Prieure de Montezargues, Château le Bourdieu Vertheuil & Château Victoria, Château de Barbe and Château Gantonnet.