Though an obscure name outside of France, the Bellanger family own three châteaux in the ‘Right Bank’ appellations of Bordeaux. At the start of the 1980s, Philippe and Christine Bellanger relocated to the eastern reaches of Saint-Émilion and set up shop in the idyllic commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse. With neighbors like Château Valandraud and Fleur-Cardinale, they were surrounded by good company. Though an old estate, the Bellangers took over Château Veyrac and began crafting supple, classic Saint-Émilion blends. The property is just 10 hectares and planted to Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the former making up the largest proportion. All grapes are handpicked and meticulously selected/sorted before fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Aging occurs in a combination of new and used French barriques for approximately 12-15 months. 

1996 Château Veyrac is for every die-hard Bordeaux fan and the label mirrors what’s in the bottle: 20+-year-old Right Bank magic. In the glass, it shows an opaque garnet-ruby core moving out to a hazy brick orange rim. Fine-grained sediment is present, so start with a careful, slow decant to remove the majority of it. A key service note for this bottle is to treat it with delicacy—remember, it’s been resting in a cool, dark cellar without interruption for nearly 20 years, so allow it some “space” in order to show its true colors. Moreover, there are fragile aromas that will be forever lost should you swirl vigorously the second it touches your glass. All you need to do is treat it gently and beautifully pure notes of redcurrants, plum skin, dried rose petals, tart cherries, and licorice will emerge, followed by toffee, cedar, forest floor, wet gravel, cigar wrapper, and soft hints of baking spice. It’s supple, yet retains impressive structure on the palate, full of dried red and black fruits and earthy savor that every worthy Bordeaux is equipped with. This is at its absolute peak, so be sure to drink over the next year or two and don’t expose it to excessive air when pulling the cork. Simply show a quick decant (to shed sediment), serve in Bordeaux stems around 60-65 degrees, and enjoy over a 1-2 hour period. Pair with a medium-rare filet in a mushroom sauce and revel in the fact that, all in, you’re having an impressive dining experience for a seriously low price. Cheers!