Chateau Grand-Pey-Lescours St Emilion Grand Cru

Chateau Grand Pey Lescours is located in St Sulpice de Faleyrens in the St Emilion region. The Chateau had been owned by the Escure family since 1924. They also own Chateau Bellegrave in Pomerol. The vineyards are planted with grape varieties typical of St Emilion, 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, on gravelly and sandy soils and cover nearly 26 hectares. The average age of the vines is 25 years old.

Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon

AREA: 25 ha 60 a
SOIL TYPE: Limestone clay soils
GRAPE VARIETIES: Merlot 75 % Cabernet Franc 20 % Cabernet Sauvignon 5 %
AVERAGE AGE OF THE VINES: 25
HARVEST: Harvest by hand
TYPES OF TANK: Cement
AGEING: Vats 50 % A wine barrel and more 50 %

With its red colour with purplish tints, this Chateau Grand Pey Lescours will give you a lot of pleasure. Very fragrant, it is adorned with notes of black fruits and undergrowth. The 70% Merlot gives this wine a wonderfully soft plushness. Flavours of black cherries and blackberries and bramble fruit. The remainder of the blend is Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, which adds structure and and earthy complexity. A true classic.

It will perfectly accompany rich pies, red meat dishes (lamb, coq au vin, etc.) but also white meat (duck with orange, for example).

Nolan - Text form the Spotlight On French Red Wines & Their Global Influences blog

heval Blanc costs almost £600 per bottle for a 2022 vintage wine, this 2016 Chateau Grand-Pey-Lescours is much more affordable!

The best limestone-based vineyards surrounding the town of Saint-Emilion produce top tier, world class Merlots with a concentration that Bordeaux wise, is only really achieved here or on the Limestone plateau of Pomerol. Here the wines achieve a plumpness that leaves a broad smile across your face. The limestone bedrock is relatively soft here, the vine roots can dig deep into the earth to hit the water table, so the grapes do not go into hydric stress. This is increasingly important with global warming as Merlot is a thirsty vine! With global warming however, alcohol levels are climbing, 14.5-15% ABV is now the norm not just the show of a great vintage, I saw some Saint-Emilion labelled 15.5% ABV recently!

Chateau Grand-Pey-Lescours has been owned by the Escure family since 1924 and is ranked as a Grand-Cru. The title "Grand-Cru" differs in Saint-Emilion compared to the quality tier system Bourgogne. In Bourgogne, the land is classified, in Saint-Emilion it is the producer that is classified. The system is designed to be fluid, if you do not perform, you will be warned, if you continue to underperform, you will be demoted. Similarly, if you overachieve, (and shout about it a lot and loudly), you may even get promoted!

This wine is currently a 2016 vintage. 2016 is a vintage noted as being “excellent.” The blend is 75% Merlot 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with the average vine age being 25 years old. After hand harvesting, the wine is fermented in concrete tanks and then 50:50 aged in concrete vat and French oak barrique.

Very fragrant, the wine is adorned with notes of black fruits and undergrowth. The 75% Merlot gives this wine a wonderfully soft plushness. Flavours of black cherries and blackberries and bramble fruit. The remainder of the blend is Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, which adds structure and earthy complexity. A true classic that pairs brilliantly with pie and gravy!