2018 Chateau Larruau - Margaux
Regular price $49.00
Sussing out the histories of Bordeaux Châteaux can be a bit like human genealogy - full of twists and turns and name changes, sometimes interesting to the families involved, and often tedious to everyone else. The short version here is that the current Château Larruau was part of the Third Growth Château Dubignon at the time of the 1855 classification that established the original pecking order of Bordeaux producers. After several changes of ownership and fortune, Château Larruau is now an under-the-radar, over-performing Margaux estate and a real value in the appellation. Margaux is among the most prized of the Left Bank (cabernet-sauvignon-dominant) Bordeaux appellations, and finding a good one under $100 per bottle, especially with some age, is a real coup.
Larruau’s Margaux is a roughly equal blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, with a bare majority of cabernet and a soupçon of cabernet franc. Fermentation was in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and aging was for 18 months in barrel (one third new, one third one year old, one third two years old). It has dark fruit and graphite, concentration without heaviness or excessive alcohol, supple texture, and the finesse of an aged Bordeaux. Drink it with your Christmas prime rib, lentil stew, or roasted fall vegetables.