Part 2 – Red Wines
For many wine lovers, Bordeaux is Mecca; the greatest wine region in the world. So we made a pilgrimage to Bordeaux in October, along with a three-day visit to Languedoc, an under-appreciated wine region in the South of France. Our Bordeaux journey was coordinated by wine travel planner Into the Vineyard, which provided an invaluable English-speaking driver/guide and coordinated tours and tastings at 14 wineries in Saint-Émilion, Pessac-Leognan, Pomerol, Saint-Julien, Medoc, and Haut-Medoc.
[Tasting room at Chateau Lagrange, above]
We planned the Languedoc leg of the trip ourselves, and the contrast between the uber-formal Bordeaux wineries and the more laid back —but no less professional— wineries in Pic St.-Loup and Faugeres was striking. Think mansion vs. farm house. Flat land vs. mountains. And wines that cost, on average, about two thirds of the price of Bordeaux.
Our favorite red wines follow. It was tough boiling the list down to 13 entries, but we enthusiastically recommend every wine on this list…and most are sold in the US.
Best wine: Château Lagrange Grand Cru Classe St. Julien 2005; $100
Vest value: Château La Roque Pic Saint-Loup 2020; $26
| WINERY | WINE | NOTES | PRICE |
| Château de Ferrand Saint-Émilion Grand Cru | Château de Ferrand 2015 79% Merlot, 11% Cab. Franc, 10% Cab. Sauv. | Beautifully crafted wine with oaky, vanilla-tobacco notes, some rustic notes. Silky smooth tannins on palate. | $37 at Millesema |
| Château Fombrauge Grand Cru Classe du Saint-Émilion | Château Fombrauge Grand Cru Classe 2009 Typically, 90% Merlot, 10% Cab. Franc | Beautiful vanilla toast nose from 18 months on oak. Fresh red fruits on the palate followed by a long, satisfying silky smooth finish. | Buy the 2018 vintage at Vivino for $47. The 2009 is $80 at Federal Wine + Spirits |
| Château la Gaffeliere Saint-Émilion Grand Cru | Château La Gaffeliere Grand Cru Classe, Mis En Bottle 2015 70% Merlot, 30% Cab. Franc | Toasty vanilla-oaky nose with notes of black cherry and black currant compote with a silky-smooth finish. Terrific wine that’s ready to drink now. | $90 at Vinfolio |
| Château Leydet-Valentin Saint-Émilion Grand Cru | Château Leydet-Valentin 2020 73% Merlot, 27% Cab. Franc | A delightful wine from one of our favorite winemakers, Frederic Leydet. Great balance between Bing cherry/red currant notes and long, smooth finish. | $40 at Saratoga Wine Exchange |
| Château Olivier Pessac-Leognan AOC | Château Olivier 2019 55% Cab. Sauv., 41% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot | Aromas of cassis, leather and vanilla toast. Palate is silky smooth with intense concentration of red fruits-licorice. | $34 at Saratoga Wine Exchange |
| Château Coufran Haut-Medoc | Château Coufran Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2019 85% Merlot, 15% Cab. Sauv. | A medium-bodied wine with cooking spice aromas on the nose and tightly concentrated red berry velvet on the palate, ending with a long dry finish. Perfect food wine underrated by the critics. | $25 at Millesima |
| Château Léoville Poyferré St.-Julien | Château Leoville Poyferre 2015 65% Cab. Sauv., 25% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3 % Cab. Franc | This wine is worth the splurge! Leather and cassis on the nose followed by a liquid velvet balance of black currants/black plum notes. | $100 at K+L Wines |
| Château Brenaire-Ducru St.-Julien | Château Brenaire-Ducru 2016 54% Cab. Sauv., 27% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cab. Franc. | An outstanding wine that caught our attention for its smooth integration of tannins, concentrated red fruits, and sense of terroire. A pricey splurge! | $79 at Wine.com |
| Château Lagrange St.-Julien Grand Cru Classe | Château Lagrange Grand Cru Classe St. Julien 2005 46% Cab. Sauv., 45% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot. | We loved the 2005’s depth of concentrated red fruit flavors and the long, fresh smooth finish. Château Lagrange is an index-wine for the great potential within the St.- Julien AOC and our visit confirmed this. | $100 at Cellaraiders |
| Château Lagrange St.-Julien Grand Cru Classe | Château Lagrange Grand Cru Classe St. Julien 2015 75% Cab. Sauv., 17% Merlot, 8%, Petit Verdot | A strikingly different blend of grapes from the 2005 and also outstanding; excellent depth of concentrated red fruits and super smooth tannins. should rival the 2005! | $78 at Vivino |
| Château La Roque Pic St.-Loup | Château La Roque Pic Saint-Loup 2020 70% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre | Well-crafted wine with 24 months on oak. Beautiful vanilla toast nose followed by a sucker punch of pitch- black fruits over a long silky finish. | $26 at Vivino Note: Wines from Languedoc sell for much less than wines from similar regions like Rhone, Cote de Rhone or even Chateau Neuf de Pape. Be a savvy shopper! |
| Château De Lancyre Pic St.-Loup | Vieilles Vignes-Pic St.-Loup 2020 65% Syrah, 35% Grenache | Toasty vanilla-white pepper on the nose, spicy black fruits on the palate with smooth tannins. Not aged on oak. Perfect for grilled meats. | $18 at Vivino |
| Château Estanilles Faugeres | Sous Les Rocs Rouge 2017 30% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre, 40% Syrah | Beautiful spicy vanilla-leather, and cigar box nose with…bam! Black fruits and silk. A true baby Châteauneuf-du-Pape. | Sadly, unavailable in the US |
VinoDuo 