Sometimes the enjoyment (and study) of wine comes not from the sipping of a cuvée that has lain either in barrel, bottle or both for decades developing nuanced influences of oak, grape, vintage and winemaking influences. Sometimes it’s tasting those wines before they reach drinking maturity, and figuring out which ones have staying power, which ones are ready to drink and those that, in decades to come, will be the ones everyone talks about.
So the annual Médoc Crus Bourgeois tasting is always a fascinating insight into climate, terroir, winemaking, blending, and fortune-telling.
The Crus Bourgeois classification was designed originally to recognise estates not included in the original 1855 Classification of Cru Classé but is now simply a ‘mark of quality’ awarded after blind adjudication. Overseen by a verification body, the classification is based the quality of the wine, the environment, the study of additional criteria, traceability and authentication, and tasting checks.
The Médoc is one of France’s oldest wine-producing regions in Bordeaux and you’ve probably heard the names of the most famous ‘classified’ chateaux (Margaux, Leoville-Poyferre, Cos D’Etournel, Mouton Rothschild). And you’ve probably also heard the descriptions “Left Bank” and “Right Bank” but remind me again? The Gironde estuary divides the most prestigious Bordeaux estates and separates them for more than one reason. The ancient waterway and the geological events that created it, delivers microclimates with wildly differing soils, aspects, zones and conditions on either side of the river.
Médoc is on the Left Bank, with sandy soils and gravel, maritime influences from the Atlantic Ocean, and some protection from those influences by swathes of pine forest. Gentle, undulating hills give some altitude. Only red wine is made in Médoc, all blends in various proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon (herbal, vegetal), Merlot (dark and jammy black fruit), Cabernet Franc (spice and perfume) and Petit Verdot (colour, tannin, perfume).
And this is where it gets interesting, as the 2022 Crus Bourgeois-awarded wines are recently bottled and soon to be released, but not in the main considered anywhere near ready for drinking. Tasting these wines now gives a fascinating insight into the minds of the viticulturists and winemakers, decisions made in the vineyard and the winery that will influence how these wines age and their drinkability in 10 or 20 years time.
Some of the biggest influences will come from the blend, which varies hugely between producers; the use of oak and the provenance, age and toast of the oak barrels. Like a chef deploys salt, vinegar, oil or mustard to season a dish, the winemaker must assess what each element (fruit, acidity, tannin) brings to the mix and then adjust accordingly, using the oak barrels (as well as time and temperature) to temper the blend.
The hallmark of fine Bordeaux is rich, ripe, complex, full-bodied and high in alcohol, made for hearty food, fireside chats and cigars.
I tasted across the Crus Bourgeois, CB Supérieur and CB Exceptionnel categories, and these are a few of my picks to buy now, so that Future You is rewarded with top-class Bordeaux.
Find them in a French wine outlet, or search online for stockists in the UK.
Exceptionnel
Château Du Taillan, Haut Medoc
Family owned since 1896 and now run by five sisters who practise sustainable agriculture and deliver wines ‘with a feminine aura’. I loved this Merlot-dominant blend full of dark chocolate, wet tobacco leaves and black fruit.
Château le Crock, Saint-Estephe
The name means hollow between the stones, or cave, and probably refers to the Marais du Croc, a depression in the landscape that opens on to the marshes of Lafite and Cos. I particularly enjoyed the fruit and acid balance in this wine, with plenty of oak (30% new) and tannins that will resolve (in around 10-15 years time)
Château Lilian Ladouys, Saint-Estephe
Family-owned, sustainable, farmed organically, the wine is intensely fragrant and full of juicy fruit, made in an attractive, accessible style
Supérieur
Château Mongravey, Margaux Grown on hallowed Mêdoc gravels, the Mongravey is elegant and refined with aromas of raspberry, vanilla and cherry. Cabernet Sauvignon forward and vinified partly in amphorae, aged in fine-grain medium-toasted French oak.
Château Cap Léon Veyrin, Listrac-Médoc
Sixth-generation Médoc winemakers, this wine is Merlot-dominant with sweet, ripe black fruit and coffee, mellow oak, perfectly balanced with nothing out of kilter, I would be happy to drink this now but even happier in 5-8 years time
Château Lalaudy, Moulis-en-Médoc
With a lovely, musical name, the Lalaudey estate motto is ‘Soil before everything, work despite everything, pleasure more than anything!’
A typical young Bordeaux with complex herbal notes, ripe dark fruit and chewy tannins, this is one to watch and very good value
Château Bel Air Gloria, Haut Médoc
Grown on gravel and blue clay and aged in barrel for 12 months, I particularly liked the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot split (66/34) which delivers more herbal complexity and less jammy Ribena.
Château Beaumont, Haut-Médoc
A favourite of mine in any category, Cabernet Sauvignon dominant (65%), still tense and taut and one to return to in a decade or two.
Cru Bourgeois
Château d’Aurilhac, Haut-Médoc
Textbook Bordeaux, jammy and juicy with warming spice from ageing in oak and astonishingly good value
Château Vieux Robin, Médoc
Another well-made, good value Bordeaux jam-packed with fruit, spice and oak character
© Linda Galloway 2024