- Terrific 2018 Vintage in Bordeaux
- In the heart of Margaux
- Surrounded by Grand Crus in Every Direction - Nose: So Aromatic and Deep
- Dark Cassis and Dark Berry Fruit
- Lovey Brightness
- Incredible Leather Expression
- Loads of Appealing Earth and Mineral
- White Pepper and Floral Margaux Elements
- Palate: Juicy Dark Fruits, Chewy and Dense
- Startling purity and freshness
- Will Age for 10-15 Years
- Only 96 Bottles
- Gravieres Fans - I Know You Are Out There - Start Your Engines!
- Bordeaux Done Right - Small Production, Not Over Oaked
I tend to do most of my hunting in Burgundy, Champagne, Germany, Italy and the Rhone. But when
something great pops up on my radar anywhere, I race to try it. I had heard great things about Gravieres and arranged to have samples sent to my hotel while I was in France in March 2017. It was a 2014 and a barrel sample of the 2015. I just opened them and immediately offered to sell them, I was so excited. The 2014 offer went out shortly after. These wines are in huge huge demand in France and rightfully so. The wines are simply put, awesome. This small allocation fell into my lap after asking 10 times. Maybe they wanted to get rid of me! Whatever. It worked.
something great pops up on my radar anywhere, I race to try it. I had heard great things about Gravieres and arranged to have samples sent to my hotel while I was in France in March 2017. It was a 2014 and a barrel sample of the 2015. I just opened them and immediately offered to sell them, I was so excited. The 2014 offer went out shortly after. These wines are in huge huge demand in France and rightfully so. The wines are simply put, awesome. This small allocation fell into my lap after asking 10 times. Maybe they wanted to get rid of me! Whatever. It worked.
The 2018 Vintage
2018 is a ridiculous vintage and the best vintage since 2016 but more like 2015 but way better. I love 2015 but I lust after 2018. It was super wet the first half of the growing season and super dry the second half and to the puzzlement of the vignerons these conditions created near perfect conditions. The wines are full bodied and dense with incredibly ripe tannins and full throttle very pure fruit. But there is also very crisp acidity which gives these wines undeniable freshness. The tannins are incredible and this is a vintage that is to cellar and for wine geeks. But the general public will love as well.
And Now the Wine
I am super super excited to offer the 2018 Chateau Des Gravieres Margaux for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-pack.
Out of the gates the nose is gorgeous. It is so aromatic and deep. Dark cassis and dark berry fruit but also juxtaposed with lovey brightness under that darkness. Loads of saddle leather. Incredible leather expression. So vivid. Also loads of appealing earth and mineral. Tons of white pepper and floral Margaux elements. It's so nuanced. It just smells great.
The palate is the real story though. It is stunningly balanced, so silky and pure. I mean I was blown away and just kept saying wow! wow! wow! wow! I could not believe this wine. The balance is extremely profound. Juicy dark fruits that are wonderfully ripe with chewy refined tannin. Chewy and dense with startling purity and freshness. The freshness is unreal. Also so complex already. How can a wine with such dark vivid fruit be so fresh? Leathery and earthy accents along with stunning minerality that echoes on the fresh and very, very long finish. Extreme concentration and super high quality tannins that are soft, yet firm and hit you in waves. Very complex and built to age. A stunning, stunning wine. The fruit quality is astonishing.
For all my Bordeaux people, buy cases of this wine. It is limited though and they did increase the price.
It will age for 10-15 years easy. Just a genius bottle of wine. Drinks like a well made classified growth.
The terroir they have is just incredible and they are in the heart of Margaux surrounded by Grand Crus in every direction. As the name suggests the vineyard is planted on gravel pits that are 19-23 meters deep. Once you hit 14 meters you get a lot of pebbles and poor clay soils. This is critical as it is perfect for drainage. Drainage is everything in Bordeaux. The Medoc is essentially a drained swamp. The vines only have the necessary amount of water that is essential for growth so the struggle is real. But this struggle enables this wine to have an insane natural concentration of fruit.
The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Peitit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Carmenere. The average age of the vines is 30 years.
They are a bit "moon unit" in their approach but whatever they are doing it is working. They are as old school as they come but also pay attention to the cosmic rhythms when bottling, picking and pruning. The vineyard is gorgeous with many plants between the rows and there is serious microbial and flora and fauna all living in harmony. The picking is all by hand and the sorting is all done in the vineyard. They raise the wine in French oak of which only 25% is new and they use minimal sulphur. Now you can see the way they make Bordeaux that is more in tune with my producers and not which is typical in Bordeaux with all types of machines and glamorous fancy oak. This is small production, and I hate using this word but it applies here, artisanal Bordeaux.
2018 Chateau des Gravieres - $41.99 ($159.96 4-Pack)
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