Château Tour St. Bonnet is a renowned cru bourgeois estate situated in the commune of St-Christoly at the far north of the Médoc. Its 40-hectare vineyard is superbly situated on the edge of the commune on a gravel ridge adjacent to the Gironde. Jacques Merlet, who runs the estate, is not of fan of new wood and the accompanying vanilla characters it imparts to wine - consequently, the wine is matured for 18 months in large oak foudres rather than the more commonly found small barriques. Tour St. Bonnet can be surprisingly hard and austere in youth but with 4-5 years of cellaring, can open up to reveal intense cassis flavours accompanied by smooth, balanced tannins