Have you ever dreamed of having dinner at a château in Bordeaux, France?

I know I have, and I finally got to live out my French vineyard dining dreams at Château Ambe Tour Pourret in Saint-Émilion.

Château Ambe Tour Pourret is a family-owned winery located in Bordeaux’s Right Bank, just outside of Saint-Émilion’s historic town center, within the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation.

The château, or castle, itself dates back to 1811 and its current structure was established in 1925. During World War II, it was occupied by German soldiers, and before the castle was erected, the original road it stands on was used by Louis XIII as transportation at the end of the One Hundred Years War from Saint-Émilon to Coutras. This is quite the historic part of town (as are most French wine regions).

The castle is now surrounded by five hectares of vines, with soil composed of sand and clay. In 2007, Château Ambe Tour Pourret was purchased by the Lannoye family, who achieved the vineyard’s organic certification in 2015.

Wine Dinner at Château Ambe Tour Pourret in Bordeauxjpg.zip

Wine Pairing Dinner at Château Ambe Tour Pourret in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux

Given its location on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, Château Ambe Tour Pourret specializes in varietal expressions of Merlot as well as Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends. The family also has their own crémant label named for their daughter, Céline, who plays a key role in managing both wineries.

While the family owns multiple properties in Bordeaux, their Château Ambe Tour Pourret only produces about 25,000 bottles (around 2,000 cases) per year, so this is considered a very small production winery. (P.S. Read this post if you’d like to learn more about small production wines and why they’re special). So not only was I stoked to visit a small, family-owned winery, but we also had the opportunity to dine with the women who lead this estate and many other vineyards throughout Bordeaux.

The dinner + the wine

After touring around Saint-Émilion in the July heat, we arrived at Château Ambe Tour Pourret just before golden hour to tour the vineyard, barrel room, and production facilities. We tasted an unfinished wine from the tank and learned how their barrels are handmade, mostly from cooperages within France.

As the sun began to set, we headed upstairs to enjoy a home-cooked meal (complete with wine pairings, of course) with mother and daughter owners of the château, Françoise and Céline Lannoye.

Views from a wine pairing dinner at Château Ambe Tour Pourret in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux

The table was masterfully set, just in front of a floor-to-ceiling wall of windows that opened up to a terrace overlooking the vineyards as the sun went down. The vibes were truly immaculate.

The dinner started like any party should, with a glass of Crémant de Bordeaux from the Lannoye’s Celene line (all of their sparkling wines fall under this label). This Diamant Celene 2015 Grande Réserve Blanc de Blancs is a blend of Semillon, Muscadelle, and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s perfectly balanced and could certainly age well.

Note: Vintage sparkling wines are typically only made during the best years, so when you see them at an affordable price, stock up. These wines are usually more age-worthy and complex than non-vintage wines (those that don’t have a year indicated on the label).

This first sip was paired with an appetizer of shrimp, mango, and passionfruit, which was the perfect match.

After enjoying some bubbly and taking too many photos of the vineyard views, the main dishes began to arrive and we tasted some of the Lannoye family’s signature wines from their various vineyards in Bordeaux. We started with the most unique (in my opinion) wine of the night, 2020 Château Lambersac Coeur de Vigne Puisseguin Saint-Émilion.

This wine is special because there was no sulfur added during the winemaking process (indicated on the label by Vins Sans Sulfites Ajoutés). Wines have naturally occurring sulfites as a product of fermentation, and most winemakers add sulfur throughout the process to keep the wine stable. Winemaking without the use of added sulfur can be incredibly challenging, so I respect any attempts at this and I’m even more impressed when the wine is outstanding, like this one.

By the way, if you’re curious about sulfites in wine and what’s actually causing your red wine headaches (hint: it’s not the sulfites), check out this post.

This wine was paired with the main course of grilled duck (a classic dish in Bordeaux), roasted vegetables, and fresh bread. The gaminess of the duck brought out the black fruit and sweet spiced flavors of the wine, and the fat on the bird smoothed out the wine’s tannins.

wine pairing dinner with right bank bordeaux wines

food and wine pairing dinner in saint emilion france

Also alongside the meal, we explored another one of the Lannoye’s vineyards with their 2016 Château Moulin de Clotte Arion from Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. This wine was one of my favorites of the night. This 100% Merlot is the perfect introduction wine to Bordeaux Rouge. It’s smooth and approachable, with silky tannins and notes of black fruits, cocoa dust, and minerality.

bordeaux red wine and food pairings — 2016 Château Moulin de Clotte Arion from Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux paired with duck and roasted vegetables

Last, but certainly not least, we tasted the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, as we enjoyed the sweeping views of the vineyards from which this wine originated.

The Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation has stricter rules for the winemakers to follow than just Saint-Émilion, so one could argue it’s of better quality. This wine is everything you’d imagine it to be - rich, smooth, and intense, with the perfect balance of black fruits, cocoa, sweet spices, and earthiness.

Château Ambe Tour Pourret 2019 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

The meal ended like any true French dining experience should, with an ample amount of stinky cheeses. This array of cheese was paired with the last two wines, both of which matched perfectly with each cheese. When pairing local wines with local cheeses, it’s hard to go wrong.

bordeaux wine and cheese pairing experience — An array of stinky French cheeses paired with Bordeaux Rouge wines

And just when we thought it was over and we were stuffed to the brim, we were served a homemade chocolate mousse topped with fresh raspberries for dessert, which paired surprisingly well with the dry reds.

Typically, when pairing dessert and wine, you’ll want to make sure the wine is sweeter than your food, to ensure the sugar in your dessert doesn’t make the wine taste more bitter and astringent. However, if you pair a bitter or dark chocolate with Merlot-based wines, some sort of rule-breaking magic happens and it just works. Merlot typically has notes of chocolate, and the chocolate mousse made this wine’s characteristic chocolatey-ness shine.

wine and chocolate tasting in bordeaux france — Chocolate mousse dessert paired with Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

This unforgettable experience of dining with the Lannoye family while soaking up the sun-drenched views of their vineyards and château is one I highly recommend. Château Ambe Tour Pourret offers tastings, cooking classes, and even has accommodation for a small group. I’d suggest at least stopping by for a cheese and wine pairing or chocolate and wine tasting on your next visit to Bordeaux, France.

If you’re looking for more wine travel inspiration, you might enjoy this post about Four Must Visit Wineries in Germany’s Mosel Valley.

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