Log in for prices and ordering

Peybonhomme-Les-Tours

Bohemian, Biodynamic Bordeaux
Peybonhomme-Les-Tours
Who says Bordeaux can’t do artisanal? The Hubert family’s Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours vineyard is a welcoming, radiant, biodynamic oasis amongst the sometimes dreary, conventionally farmed vineyards of Blaye, one of the right bank’s northern boroughs. Similarly, their wine’s soulful and authentic style swims against the tide of uninspiring wine that has become so typical of this region—especially at the lower price points.

This small, family-owned estate has been crafting outstanding biodynamic wines for more than a decade. Furthermore, the wines have never tasted better or more energetic than under the new generation: Rachel and Guillaume Hubert. Today, this producer checks the boxes for many of our wine culture’s most revered standards and trends. Apart from the certified biodynamic viticulture, there’s a zero-sulphur red, an amphora-raised cuvée, a Vin de France duo, and even a new Cabernet Franc Pét-Nat. These tasty wines have found an enthusiastic audience in cities whose wine bars had otherwise abandoned Bordeaux.

It’s this producer’s more classical blends that really float our boat, though. These biodynamic, wild-fermented, unfiltered wines are raised without any masking by extraction or new oak; the only addition being a limited amount of SO2 (maximum 40mg/L sulphur—i.e. extremely low). You can expect delicious, character-rich wines chock-full of ripe, plush fruit and vibrant freshness. Factor in the great-value pricing, and the charming wines below represent an easy buying decision for those looking for pleasurable, new-wave French reds and whites.

The Wines

Château la Grolet Côtes de Bourg Origines 2021

Château la Grolet Côtes de Bourg Origines 2021

Biodynamic. Peybonhomme’s sister vineyard, Château La Grolet, lies just to the to the south in the Côtes de Bourg. The cooler, gravel-rich terroir makes for a more firmly structured, darker red than this wine’s sibling, although there is always just as much class and value. The blend is 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec. The vines are approaching their half century, and crop at 25 hl/ha—similar to the low yields of some of Bordeaux’s most expensive vins de garage! This fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vessels. It was bottled without fining or filtration, and with only a little sulphur (the wine saw no other additions).

The 2021 Château La Grolet is another outstanding success. It’s a medium-bodied, savoury Bordeaux with mulberry and cherry fruit, inky, powdery tannins and a long, driven close. Although it’s clear that 5-10 years will not weary it, it’s a very good drink now. It will match beautifully with any beef or lamb dish—steak frites, please! In short, this is a super-authentic Bordeaux country-style red that represents wonderful value.

Château la Grolet Côtes de Bourg Origines 2021
Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2019 (375ml)

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2019 (375ml)

Biodynamic. Half bottle. This classic estate wine is a blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Malbec. The fruit was grown on Peybonhomme’s limestone and clay soils of the Premières Côtes de Blaye (on the right bank, overlooking the picturesque Gironde estuary). The wine fermented with indigenous yeasts and then matured mostly in concrete, with 10% fermented and aged in two- to three-year-old oak. The wine was bottled unfiltered.

From a year of great balance—and one that had Bordeaux's upper classes rubbing their hands in glee—2019 is a delicious, vivid release of this wine. Look out for deep, opulent blackcurrant fruit and charred meat, all draped over a backdrop of leather, five spice, cigar box and a lovely mineral complexity. There are good ripe tannins too, but it is already immensely drinkable. This will match beautifully with anything you could think of pairing with traditional Bordeaux. We prefer lamb chops.

From a year of exceptional balance—and one that had Bordeaux's upper classes rubbing their hands—the 2019 is a delicious, vivid release of this wine. Look out for deep and opulent blackcurrant fruit and charred meat, all draped over a backdrop of leather, spice and graphite and a lovely mineral complexity. There are good ripe tannins too, but it is already immensely drinkable. This will match beautifully with anything you could think of pairing with traditional Bordeaux (we prefer lamb chops). As always, crazy value.

From a year of exceptional balance—and one that had Bordeaux's upper classes rubbing their hands—the 2019 is a delicious, vivid release of this wine. Look out for deep and opulent blackcurrant fruit and charred meat, all draped over a backdrop of leather, spice and graphite and a lovely mineral complexity. There are good ripe tannins too, but it is already immensely drinkable. This will match beautifully with anything you could think of pairing with traditional Bordeaux (we prefer lamb chops). As always, crazy value.

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2019 (375ml)
Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux Le Blanc Bonhomme 2021

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux Le Blanc Bonhomme 2021

Biodynamic. This delicious and racy white comprises 45% Sémillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Colombard, drawn from a two-hectare, biodynamic vineyard close to the banks of the Gironde River. Guillaume Hubert's grounded, vineyard-focused approach results in a vibrant, unworked and racy white whose crunchy freshness and juicy texture reflect its limestone soils more transparently than anything we have come to expect of white Bordeaux. 

The grapes are handpicked, manually sorted and undergo a 24-hour carbonic period before being pressed into a mixture of concrete vats and oak barrels. Here the wines complete their fermentation, carried out by indigenous yeasts only. In other words, it's a mould-breaking white Bordeaux, and just to be sure no one misses the point, the family releases it in a Burgundy-shaped bottle. Vibrating with the year’s stony freshness, it's a crunchy, racy white with mouth-watering lemon pith, fresh herbs and white floral notes, closing with silky grace and gentle phenolic bite. If you have a stereotype of old-school white Bordeaux in your mind, this earth-to-glass prototype is the wine to change your mind, as it did ours. Incidentally the wine’s name, Bonhomme, has the same root as bonhomie, French for exuberant friendliness. Fitting, really.

"I don’t know any producer in Bordeaux that offers better values than the Hubert family, owners of Château Peybonhomme-les-Tours and a handful of other labels. They farm biodynamically, and the wines always seem far better than their prices might indicate. This is a terrific white Bordeaux, rich, textured, stony and intriguing, made of 45 percent sémillon, 45 percent sauvignon blanc and 10 percent colombard."
Eric Asimov, The New York Times
Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux Le Blanc Bonhomme 2021
Château Peybonhomme-les-Tours Vin de France L'Atypic 2021

Château Peybonhomme-les-Tours Vin de France L'Atypic 2021

Biodynamic. L’Atypic is drawn from Peybonhomme’s biodynamically certified, limestone and clay soils in the Premières Côtes de Blaye. The vines that produce this cuvée are now 40 years old. As the name suggests, it's an ‘atypical’ co-fermented blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Cabernet Franc—meaning the wine has to carry the Vin de France designation. But who cares? It’s a stunning example of Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux: blending regulations be damned!

Fermented with indigenous yeasts and raised entirely in concrete, it’s an intense, ripe, dark cherry and spice-noted wine with a twist of dried herb and elegant tannins. There is excellent depth and intensity and mouth-watering freshness to close. With fabulous purity of fruit and superb drinkability, it’s another killer-value red from the Hubert family.

Talk about atypic! This is superb—an intense, ripe, dark cherry and spice-noted wine with a twist of dried herb and super-fine tannins. There is excellent depth and intensity and mouth-watering freshness to close. This has fabulous purity of fruit and is incredibly easy to drink. Yet another killer value from the Hubert family.


Talk about atypic! This is superb—an intense, ripe, dark cherry and spice-noted wine with a twist of dried herb and super-fine tannins. There is excellent depth and intensity and mouth-watering freshness to close. This has fabulous purity of fruit and is incredibly easy to drink. Yet another killer value from the Hubert family.

Château Peybonhomme-les-Tours Vin de France L'Atypic 2021
Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2020

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2020

Biodynamic. This classic estate wine is a blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Malbec. The fruit was all drawn from Peybonhomme’s limestone and clay soils in the Premières Côtes de Blaye (on the right bank overlooking the picturesque Gironde estuary). The wine was fermented using wild yeast and then exclusively in concrete. The wine was bottled unfiltered.

From a low yielding year of exceptional balance, the 2020 is a typically delicious, vivid release of this wine. Look out for deep and opulent blackcurrant fruit and charred meat, all draped over a backdrop of leather, spice and graphite and a lovely mineral complexity. There are good ripe tannins too, but it is already immensely drinkable. This will match beautifully with anything you could think of pairing with traditional Bordeaux (we prefer lamb chops). As always, crazy value.

From a low yielding year of exceptional balance, the 2020 is a typically delicious, vivid release of this wine. Look out for deep and opulent blackcurrant fruit and charred meat, all draped over a backdrop of leather, spice and graphite and a lovely mineral complexity. There are good ripe tannins too, but it is already immensely drinkable. This will match beautifully with anything you could think of pairing with traditional Bordeaux (we prefer lamb chops). As always, crazy value.

Château Peybonhomme-Les-Tours Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux 2020

“If you are in the camp that has dismissed Bordeaux, I would urge you to give these wines a try. If you already love Bordeaux, these may add a new dimension to your expectations.” Eric Asimov, The New York Times



“If you are in the camp that has dismissed Bordeaux, I would urge you to give these wines a try. If you already love Bordeaux, these may add a new dimension to your expectations.” Eric Asimov, The New York Times

Other Recent Releases

  • Domaine Chermette
    Domaine Chermette
    Pierre-Marie Chermette’s juicily delicious 2023 Beaujolais Les Griottes has just arrive...
    Pierre-Marie Chermette’s juicily delicious 2023 Beaujolais Les Griottes has just arrived, and not a moment too soon. We noticed an unusual-looking ...

    Read more

  • Noble Rot Issue 36 & Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti?
    Noble Rot Issue 36 & Who’s Afraid of Romanée-Conti?
    Dan Keeling shares a glass or three with Ridley Scott, the iconic director responsible ...
    Dan Keeling shares a glass or three with Ridley Scott, the iconic director responsible for some of the greatest movies of all time – from Blade Run...

    Read more

  • Garagiste
    Garagiste
    In case you hadn’t noticed, Garagiste and its main man are on fire. The new Stagiaire r...
    In case you hadn’t noticed, Garagiste and its main man are on fire. The new Stagiaire releases have just rolled into the warehouse and are in great...

    Read more

  • Albariño & Friends
    Albariño & Friends
    We’d been dying to return to Spain’s Galician coast for some time, so our visit in earl...
    We’d been dying to return to Spain’s Galician coast for some time, so our visit in early 2023 could not come soon enough. It did not disappoint. Ti...

    Read more

  • Corofin
    Corofin
    If Mike Paterson has an Achilles heel, it could be that he does not seem to appreciate ...
    If Mike Paterson has an Achilles heel, it could be that he does not seem to appreciate quite how good his wines really are. Or at least he won’t al...

    Read more

  • Lethbridge Wines
    Lethbridge Wines
    Henty is Ray Nadeson’s home away from home. Ray has long had a thing for Australia’s co...
    Henty is Ray Nadeson’s home away from home. Ray has long had a thing for Australia’s coolest wine-growing region and began working with Drumborg fr...

    Read more

  • Swinney Rosé 2024
    Swinney Rosé 2024
    Swinney’s thoroughbred rosé shot out of the stalls faster than Black Caviar. “It’s one ...
    Swinney’s thoroughbred rosé shot out of the stalls faster than Black Caviar. “It’s one of Australia’s greatest rosés,” wrote Erin Larkin of Swinney...

    Read more

  • Benjamin Leroux
    Benjamin Leroux
    Late last year, we sat down for an epic 2022 tasting with this exceptionally talented w...
    Late last year, we sat down for an epic 2022 tasting with this exceptionally talented winemaker, looking at over 40 wines from the 52 he made. In s...

    Read more

  • Domaine aux Moines
    Domaine aux Moines
    Domaine aux Moines, a now 12-hectare estate set in the heart of one of the Loire’s most...
    Domaine aux Moines, a now 12-hectare estate set in the heart of one of the Loire’s most enigmatic vineyards, La Roche-aux-Moines, was founded in 19...

    Read more

View All Offers

More Content

Read More About the Producer Here