The Tinon vineyard has been a winegrowing property since the 18^th century. It is located on hills overlooking the right bank of the Garonne river in the Sainte Croix du Mont appellation area.

The Bridet family bought Château La Grave with its 12 hectares (30 acres) in 1929.
At that time, the vineyard consisted of 6 hectares (15 acres) of which 5 produced Sainte Croix du Mont AOC sweet white wine.
Gradually the vineyard became organised and neighbouring plots were added to reach 13 hectares (32 acres) by 1970 when the third Bridet-Tinon generation took over.

In 1977, Château Grand Peyrot with its 5 hectares (12¹/₂ acres) was added to the existing vineyard.

Since 1990, new plots have been added bringing the total area today to 25 hectares (62 acres) all of which are in the commune of Sainte Croix du Mont.

The Tinon vineyard is a medium-sized 25-hectare (62-acre) family estate in its 4^th generation. The majority of its vines produce fruit suitable for white wine within the Sainte Croix du Mont sweet white wine AOC.

The vineyard is managed to produce fine over-ripe grapes for sweet white wine production. The focus is equally on the manual expertise required as well as innovative technology.

Noble rot (botrytis cinerea), which is what produces the unique tastes of Bordeaux’s golden wines, gradually settles on the grapes in waves during misty mornings caused by the vines’ closeness to the Garonne river.

The Tinon vineyard has two Sainte Croix du Mont AOC sweet white wines to offer that come from two distinct terroirs:

Château La Grave

Château La Grave soils contain slightly ochre-coloured clay and small, round, smooth pebbles. Deeper down, blocks of iron-bearing “alios” hard sandstone can be found. The layers of gravel of different thicknesses varying between 50cm and 2 metres, apparently became stationary about 2 million years ago. On this terroir, grapes reach the sought-after over-ripe condition relatively early. The Sainte Croix du Mont wines that grow here are fruity and lively.

Château Grand Peyrot

The Grand Peyrot terroir is located on the extension of the Sainte-Croix-du-Mont bed of fossilised oysters on the first hill overlooking the Garonne river. This clayey limestone soil was formed 20 million years ago. A large number of fossils can be found here.

This terroir produces concentrated wines with smooth texture and a fresh finish.

To find out more, use the following links: wwww.sainte-croix-du-mont.com and www.sainte-croix-du-mont.fr.

The opportunity to taste and compare the distinctive wines from these two vineyards, vintage after vintage, is often an exciting and surprising learning experience for sweet white wine lovers.