Chateau Tire Pé
David and Hélène Barrault took over this small vineyard in ’97. Blessed with rich clay and limestone soils this vineyard possesses fantastic southern exposures and overlooks the Gironde River. The chateau takes its name from a colorful local tale about what small animals “leave behind” before climbing the Tire Pé hill. The Barrault’s farm ten to fifteen year-old vines organically and great care is taken to gently extract the supple fruit and terroir, that Bordeaux is so well known for, into each cuvee they produce.
Certification: Practicing organic since 2008, and officially converting since 2011 (ECOCERT)
Tire Pé: — Back to the top
Age of Vines: 10 to 15 years
Yields: 3300 and 5000 vine/ha that yield 40/45 hectoliters=20,000 bts produced
Pruning Method: Mixed guyot pruning
Soil: Clay and limestone
Varieties: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vinification Method: Grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed. Each plot is harvested and fermented separately. The grapes undergo three to four weeks of cool maceration for a soft extraction. The wine is aged for eighteen months in concrete tanks. The wine is bottled without systematic filtration.
Tasting Note: Deep ruby in the glass with red currant, blackberry, bramble and pounded stones. Ripe red and black fruit dominates the palate that gets a nice boost from the wines natural acidity. This is a buoyant and easy drinking red that finishes with light tannins.
Pairing: Grilled beef or lamb, pork loin, grilled ham, roasted vegetables and lighter cheeses.
Tire Pé Diem: — Back to the top
Age of Vines: 10 to 15 years.
Yields: 33000 to 5000 vines/ha=14,000 bottles
Pruning Method: Mixed guyot
Soil: Clay and limestone
Varieties: 100% Merlot
Vinification Method: Grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed. Each plot is harvested and fermented separately. The grapes undergo a short 8 to 12 day cool maceration for a soft extraction. The wine is aged for eight to ten months in concrete tanks, after which the wine is bottled without systematic filtration.
Tasting Note: Ruby in the glass with shimmering purple highlights. This youthful wine has a bright nose of fresh red fruit backed by a dusting of cedar infused minerality. Buoyant and fruity on the palate the Tire Pé Diem is packed with juicy red currant, crushed plum and sweet herbs. This is a pretty red with an easy fruity profile and a lingering finish.
Pairing: Works well with picnic fare, baked chicken, grilled beef, spicy pasta dishes or with mild cheeses.
La Côte: — Back to the top
Age of Vines: 35 years old
Yields: 30-35 hl/ha
Pruning Method: Double Guyot
Soil: Clay and limestone
Varieties: 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc
Vinification Method: Grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed. The grapes undergo three to four weeks of cool maceration for a soft extraction. The wine is vinified in tank and the wine is aged in 300 & 400-liter old oak barrels for twelve to fourteen months, after which the wine spends 4-5 months in concrete tank. The wine is bottled without systematic filtration.
Les Malbecs: — Back to the top
Tire Pé Les Malbecs tech sheet
Age of Vines: 10 to 15 years
Yields: 30 hl/ha
Pruning Method: Double Guyot
Soil: Clay and limestone
Varieties: Malbec
Vinification Method: Grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed. The grapes undergo three to four weeks of cool maceration for a soft extraction. The wine is vinified in old oak barrels and the wine is aged in 300 & 400-liter old oak barrels for twelve months. The wine is bottled without systematic filtration.
Tasting Note: Deep ruby in the glass with red currant, blackberry, bramble & pounded stones. Ripe red & black fruit dominates the palate that gets a nice boost from the wine’s natural acidity. This is a deep & profound offering from Tire Pé that will age gracefully for a decade. Enjoy it now after an hour in the decanter.
Pairing: Grilled beef or lamb, hearty winter stews, aged cheeses, pork loin, grilled ham & roasted root vegetables.
Tire Vin Vite — Back to the top
Grapes: Merlot
Vineyard: clay-limestone. Certified organic
Making of: the grapes are spontaneously fermented for 10 – 12 days, then rested for 6 to 10 months in concrete tanks. Unfined, unsulfured.
Personality: crunchy and honest! Made “as close to the grape as it gets”, this is a light, joyful red for any occasion and pocket, to be drunk chilled and in its youth.
L’Echappée — Back to the top
A blend of two very rare and old indigenous grape varieties of the Bordeaux region, now nearly extinct. The Castet was discovered around 1870 in the Gironde and it is said to have originated in the small village of Castets en Dorthe, located only a few miles from the Tire Pé estate. It enjoyed a solid reputation and quick growth in popularity until the ravages of phylloxera around 1880, after which it was largely forgotten. Mancin des palus is also a very old Gironde grape variety, possibly hailing from the Middle Ages. There are written records from 1781 lauding its qualities, it then even dominated some grands crus of Graves and Médoc. Today, it has virtually disappeared.
Grapes: Castet, Mancin des Palus
Vineyard: 0.8 ha
Making of: native fermentation and elevage for 16 months in terracota amphoras. No fining, total SO2 around 30 ppm.
Personality: aromas of wild berries, licorice, white flowers, and spices, nice roundness and pleasant crunch on the palate.