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Château Clos Junet, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Other, France 2005 (750mL)
$40.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Château Clos Junet, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Today, the majority of 2005 Bordeaux has been consumed or funneled into cellars; what remains, given the hype surrounding the vintage, is often prohibitively expensive. But some smaller grower-producers bucked the inflationary influence of négociants and the press. Meet Clos Junet: This limited-production gem comes from a small château with only a few acres of vines—vines that have been in the family since 1890. This is classic Bordeaux without gimmicks or deception; it’s crafted purely, accurately, and the result is a resounding success.
Clos Junet drinks leagues beyond its price point and, after our first taste, it made quite a few “victory laps” around our building. For those in need of an alluring wine that decisively checks off every top quality marker for mature Bordeaux, today’s wine is for you. This is layered with ripe fruit, soft-shouldered with unending texture, and there is a blend of baking spice, earth, and dried herb that pushes the wine into a lingering savory-sweet finish. Sourced from vineyards situated just up the road from legendary classed-growth Château Angélus (whose ’05 will run you $400+), this is an amazing insider’s ‘get’ at this price. It is Right Bank Bordeaux at near perfection and you’ll not likely to see this combination of producer and vintage anywhere else. We can offer up to six bottles to our top customers today. Have at it!
Family owned since the property was bought in 1890, Clos Junet’s current proprietor, Patrick Junet, embodies a true small grower. Upon inheriting his family’s seven acres of vines, he was working at a business that promoted the wines of Saint-Émilion, but after spending time in the vineyards, he made the transition. His first vintage was 1992 and to this day Patrick cherishes it the most: ”We felt a certain tension and anxiety...it’s your first wine, it’s like your first child.” Now, with a quarter-century under his belt, you’ll still find him involved in the entire process—be it in the vineyard, the winery, even the bottling line. 

The 2005 vintage brought a perfect growing season across Bordeaux, though Saint-Émilion is certainly a contender for the most consistent quality from top to bottom. When old vines meet a hot and dry season, like Clos Junet’s estate-owned 40-year-old vines, grapes can achieve incredible concentration and power; the key to great Bordeaux wine. In the vineyard, Patrick and his small team adhered to sustainable farming techniques and all grapes were harvested by hand at a respectable yield. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel tanks (he only has three) and the wine was then transferred into oak barrels (70% new) for 16 months before being bottled. The final blend was 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec (Angélus, by comparison, is 60%-40% Merlot-Cab Franc). 

In the glass, the ’05 Clos Junet shows a dark garnet core with brick-orange hues along the rim; it’s nearly opaque and fully concentrated. The nose is supple and seductive, revealing classic Right Bank notes of red currant, black cherry, and red plum with pipe tobacco, wet clay, violets, bay leaf, truffle and lingering notes of baking spice. The palate very much confirms the nose, and now with 13 years of age there is a wonderful savoriness alongside a silky, full-bodied mouthfeel. A vibrant finish and fine-tuned tannins indicate it will stay in its prime drinking window for the next 5-7 years, though I am a huge advocate for drinking it now! There is sediment present, so if you prefer a clean wine, decant it right before service. I chose to pour this directly into my glass and allowed 10-15 minutes for it to open up, which, with its large portion of ripe Merlot fruit, did so with ease. Use your largest Bordeaux stems for this and serve around 60-65 degrees alongside a tender cut of steak covered in a decadent green peppercorn sauce. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Other
Sub-Region
FranceSaint-Émilion
Soil
Red Clay & Sand
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Merlot 65%, Cabernet Franc 30%, Malbec 5%
Alcohol
14.0
OAK
70% New French
TEMP.
65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stem
Drinking
Now-2025
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Strip Steak w/ Green Peppercorn Sauce

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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