Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Deep purple-hued, the 2025 Château Tour Saint Christophe reveals darker red and blue berries, chocolaty herbs, graphite, and crushed stone, as well as a beautiful floral character. Coming from a picturesque, terraced hillside on the eastern side of Saint-Emilion, it's based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that's being raised in 25% new barriques, 15% round foudres, and the balance in one- and two-wine barrels. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a concentrated, layered, pure mouthfeel, terrific mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it's a concentrated, opulent 2025 that ticks all the right boxes.
Barrel Sample: 94-96+ -
James Suckling
Medium- to full-bodied with delineated dark fruit and precise, delicate tannins, showing good freshness, a wonderful silky texture and a subtle saline note in the finish.
Barrel Sample: 95-96 -
Vinous
The 2025 Tour Saint Christophe is a stunner. Rich and explosive, the 2025 possesses remarkable depth and pure power. All the elements are so well balanced. Tour Saint Christophe is always a big wine, but the 2025 has an unusual level of finesse. Dark-toned fruit, leather, gravel, chocolate and dried herbs caress the palate. Aging the Francs in 20HL cask seems very well judged in moderating oak impact, something that has also been a signature here in the past. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Decanter
Lovely aromatic expression on the nose, perfumed bramble and summer berry fruit combined. Crisp but sun-kissed, charming, full of brisk acidity and real energy. There’s focus and bite with cranberry fruit alongside mouthwatering blueberries. Feels a little tense still because of the acidity but there’s drive and excellent definition with a grip to the tannins that balances everything out. 3.35pH. A yield of 27hl/ha. One third of the wine aged in small oak vats and the rest in barrels.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2025 Tour Saint Christophe, a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that matured in 20-hectoliter foudres, reveals aromas of mocha, spice, cocoa and violet. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and structured, it’s built around a firm, tannic frame with good length, concluding with a spicy finish.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.