$21.99 "Baby Pomerol" from Longtime Winemaker at Cheval Blanc!
After 38 years as winemaker for Cheval Blanc, crafting numerous 100-Point wines, the legendary Thierry Garnaud retired in 2019. He did not, however, give up winemaking.
It turns out that for most of his years at Cheval Blanc, Thierry had a side gig overseeing vinification for the nearby Château Canon Chaigneau. Now that he is retired from Cheval Blanc, he's been spending more time at this family property, and he is absolutely crushing it.
One of his new projects at Canon Chaigneau is the introduction of an unoaked cuvée. Today we bring you the second vintage of that bottling, a wine that has earned an affectionate "baby Pomerol" nickname from our crew for its pure flavors and serious structure. And, it's received lots of love from Vinous's Neal Martin as well...
“An excellent Lalande-de-Pomerol that is worth hunting down.”
- Neal Martin, December 2022
The 2020 Château Canon Chaigneau "Cuve 8a Beton" is structured in a way that few wines at this price are. Scroll down for our tasting notes along with those from Neal Martin, and for details on an excellent 2019 bottling from Château Chauvin, then click on the Big Yellow Button to order!
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2020 Château Canon Chaigneau "Cuve 8a Beton"
Lalande-de-Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
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Pouring a deep ruby red with hints of black-purple, this bright and concentrated red blends 93% Merlot with 5% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec. To let the vibrancy of the fruit shine through, Garnaud ages this bottling solely in concrete tank, resulting in a pure, taut, mineral and fruit-driven effort.
“Thierry lovingly crafts the Grand Vin and our new creation, Cuve 8a, wine with the same passion & alchemy that he had at Cheval Blanc, the wines share the same ‘iron fist in velvet glove’ structure & sensuality.”
- Château Canon Chaigneau
Produced from estate vines growing in limestone-clay soils on the Néac plateau, not far from the famed vineyards of Petrus, La Conseillante and Clinet, this truly is a baby Pomerol. A few swirls of the decanter reveals flavors of plum, blackberry, tobacco, cedar, and coffee grounds along with savory notes of olive and soy, and a long limestone mineral spine. Further time in the decanter brings even more mouth pleasure and roundness. This is a serious Bordeaux that gives complexity far beyond its price!
“The 2020 Cuve 8a Beton has more lift and certainly more complexity on the nose compared to the regular bottling. Slightly more tertiary in style, savory perhaps. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, black olive and tinged black fruit that define its saline finish. This is an excellent Lalande-de-Pomerol that is worth hunting down. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2038."
- 91 Points, Vinous - Neal Martin (12/2022)
The Cuve 8a Beton is a $22 Bordeaux that thinks it’s $50. You’d be hard pressed to find a more structured and mineral-themed wine at this price. Drink a bottle or two now and save the rest to enjoy over the coming 10 to 15 years. This bargain-priced gem will develop beautifully over the years!
Vin Chicago Price: 21.99
94+ Point Bottling from Another Bordeaux Estate on the Rise!
2019 Château Chauvin
Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
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Since Sylvie Cazes purchased Château Chauvin in 2014, this small estate has been on the rise. Pouring a fully opaque ruby color with garnet and purple hues, her 2019 Chauvin is velvety, dense, quite fresh, and elegantly balanced.
This lush and lovely 13.5% ABV beauty opens in the decanter to reveal a pleasure giving collection of dark berry fruit, baking spice, tobacco, chalky mineral, and fresh turned earth notes. Offering a noble structure that suggests the potential for longterm aging, we are a solid 93 points. Awarding 94+ and 93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck and Neal Martin write...
“I continue to love the wines from this château. The 2019 Château Chauvin shows an impeccably balanced, elegant, yet still concentrated style that's well worth seeking out. Mostly Merlot (there's some Cabernet Franc as well as a tiny amount of Cabernet Sauvignon), its deep purple hue is followed by a clean, pure, medium to full-bodied wine offering classic ripe darker cherry and currant fruits as well as spicy oak, chalky minerality, and hints of tobacco. It's still closed and reserved today, yet the balance is spot on, it has beautifully ripe tannins, and a great mid-palate. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have at least two decades of prime drinking. It's wonderful stuff. Maturity: 2026 - 2047.”
- 94+ Points, Jeb Dunnuck (4/11/2022)
“The 2019 Chauvin has a lovely bouquet of pretty brambly red fruit, rose petal and light sous-bois aromas, fragrant and floral. The palate is medium-bodied, crisp and taut, quite classic in style, with fine tannins and a structured, off-dry finish. Give this 3–5 years in bottle because there is a lot of substance here. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2048.”
- 93 Points, Vinous - Neal Martin (12/2021)
Packed in handsome six-bottle wood cases, this is one to cellar for a few more years then drink over the following 15+.
Vin Chicago Price: 41.99
