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Bordeaux Renaissance

Dear Friends,

Is this the finest circa $20 Bordeaux you’ve never tasted?

Could be.

After yesterday’s Jeb review of the 2016 Bordeaux vintage (he handed out eleven 100pt notes!), the fever has escalated once again for this once in a generation campaign.

One of the undiscovered stars of the vintage?

A wine that is also among the finest values on the Right Bank.

The amazing thing about today’s subject?

Their proximity to some of the most famous and costly terroir in the world yet they remain an enigma outside of France.

With a small 5-6 hectare vineyard that straddles the sloping base of the Pavie hill (just up the main road from the base of Ausone and La Gaffeliere), Chateau Puy-Razac is about to have their moment in the sun.

A woman-owned sleeping giant that WILL get its due, I have a sneaking suspicion that a nice contingent of you will place this $19+ Saint-Emilion Grand Cru up there with your most cherished discoveries of 2019 and beyond. Not only is it from 2016 (no further vintage introduction required) but it is also quite close to an area that produced several 98-100pt examples in the vintage. Let’s not get carried away and start comparing the 2016 Puy-Razac Saint Emilion Grand Cru to Beausejour Duffau (or Ausone) but it is worth noting the exceptional nature of the winery’s surrounds. If nothing else, it’s a VERY special piece of Bordelaise terroir that has remained a quiet bastion of excellence:http://www.puy-razac.com/left-sidebar.html

From the hands of Catherine Leymarie-Thoilliez comes her signature stamp on Chateau Puy-Razac – the insistence on monopole fruit without any Cabernet Sauvignon (Puy-Razac is solely Cabernet Franc and Merlot evenly split - actually 45/55 in the vintage). It’s no surprise that her wine has more than a passing resemblance to some of the other exquisite Franc/Merlot duos of the surrounding area (and I m not referring to any of the Perse stable up the hill). The 2016 Puy-Razac is a gorgeous example with real terroir and varietal definition (not to mention a nice dose of fairy dust courtesy of the vintage). It’s the type of high–worth Bordeaux that so many of us reach for on a daily basis but hardly ever encounter under $20 (but wish we would do so dozens of times per year!).

And now the fun part...

It’s a near certainty that this wine is headed for much higher $’s in future vintages. With a renewed vigor at the Chateau and a tiny vineyard (with a small output) plus a fanatical and detailed approach (not to mention organic viticulture and raising with hardly any sulfur used), Catherine Leymarie-Thoilliez is ready to announce Chateau Puy-Razac as the “next big thing” in Saint-Emilion and she is most definitely right! If Puy-Razac eventually reaches the $50+ barrier (quite likely), don’t you think the acquisition of what may be one of the most famous vintages of classic stature in a span of 3-4 decades is a good idea? Especially if that wine was produced in the exact same fashion as vintages down the road but it was only $19+ (instead of who knows how much for the future vintages - $50? $70?).

That’s what I thought.

One of the outright bargains of the vintage (keep in mind the “association” thing down the road for 2016 Bordeaux), Chateau Puy-Razac can be our little secret for now...but it won’t be for long!

This parcel is set to depart from the winery holding pen with the finest/freshest original provenance available.

ONE SHIPMENT ONLY of 2016 at this $.

FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 36/person until we run out:

2016 Chateau Puy-Razac Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 750ml (Bordeaux) - $19.81
(organic)

Drink: 2019 - 2032+.
 

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