When I first tasted today’s wine in Bordeaux, I wasn’t familiar with the history or backing behind Château Larrivaux, but it oozed classic Left Bank Pauillac, so I looked it up: It’s been in the hands of the same family since its inception nearly 450 years ago and their estate vineyards are just west of Lafite Rothschild—about 10,000 feet as a bird flies, to be exact.
I then discovered that Eric Boissenot was their winemaking consultant, the same man who blends the wines of Latour, Lafite, Mouton, and Margaux, along with countless other classified properties (Third Growth Château Lagrange considers Eric and his small team to “make the greatest wines of the world”). So how can a label with such pedigree and winemaking skill fly under the radar at this price? Beats me, and I don’t plan on investigating; some things are best left untouched. The wine has just arrived from a cold cellar where it has been stored since release and when we popped a bottle to see if it was everything we remembered six months ago, it was even better—now starting to hit its true peak. What an immense wine! With 10 years of age, this is finely structured and will easily go 10, even 20 more. We tasted at several intervals, but it was bursting with class the second it left the bottle, and as the hours rolled by, the wine became more seductive, showing off dense fruit and lovely mineral-inflected tones. Parade this in front of your friends (they won’t find it anywhere else) and then sit back and enjoy yet another affordable gem from the hidden corners of Bordeaux. We’re absolutely thrilled with the results over here and now it’s your turn to indulge. Enjoy!
Females of the same lineage have exclusively managed Château Larrivaux since 1580. Back then, the land was untouched land and subsequent generations began building and maintaining the growing property. A barrel cellar was eventually built in the early 1800s and by 1861 their very first grape vines were planted, and have subsequently been expanded upon. The estate now covers nearly 50 acres of sustainably-farmed vines and, of course, is still overseen by the current and soon-to-be future generations of women. And, with Eric Boissenot continuing on as their winemaking consultant, this is one of the finest values you’ll find in Haut-Medoc.
Where in Haut-Médoc is Château Larrivaux? It’s wedged between Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac—only two miles from Lafite-Rothschild—and though not technically in either commune, their prime real-estate can’t be argued with. They do, however, hold ‘Cru Bourgeois’ status, a designation reviewed by an overseeing board that annually conducts a three-stage quality process. Their quarter-century vines are planted in three independent clusters around the property, forming a loosely triangular shape; two buried in gravelly soils with deep clay and the third to clay-limestone. Merlot is the predominant planting here, unusual for the region, but they say it’s a perfect complement to their soils. After a two-week harvest in 2008, the grapes fermented in a mixture of stainless steel and concrete vats; the wine then aged in 20% new and 80% once-used French oak for 14 months. The final blend was 54% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Cabernet Franc.
In the glass, the wine is still showing vibrancy, with a brightly reflecting dark-ruby core with light ruby hues on the rim. It’s nearly opaque, seriously concentrated, and wine legs cling to the glass. The nose is highly perfumed, first delivering a ripe wave of red and black currant, blackberry, black cherry blossoms, black plum and red flowers. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover a wine full of grace and power, with notes of crème de cassis, leather, dried rose, underbrush, crushed stone, wet clay, and green peppercorn; all of which is backed by an array of fresh baking spices. On the palate, the wine has an energetic structure—I’m thinking 10-20 more years of wonderful drinking—and the healthy dose of Merlot adds a layer of dark, velvety fruit that pings around your tastebuds. Larrivaux may historically be female-driven, but this is not, as they say, a ‘feminine’ wine. You can expect nuanced structure and power on the palate. Decant for a brief 15-30 minute decant, or feel free to pop and pour, allowing it to open up in large Bordeaux stems around 65 degrees. Pair this alongside a traditional duck confit on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes for the absolute best results. Cheers!
