I’m going to jump right into the “specs” on today’s wine, because they are especially impressive. First, it hails from Lalande-de-Pomerol, which is without a doubt one of the greatest “next-door” appellations in the world—especially where Clos des Galevesses is located, on a plateau of clay with deep gravels (like Lafleur) and effectively identical to the soil composition of some of the greatest parts of neighboring Pomerol.
Second, it’s a product of one of Bordeaux’s greatest vintages in recent times, 2016—every inch the vintage 2015 was, in fact, not to mention other benchmarks like ’05 and ’10. Third, it is a stop-you-in-your tracks value—a wine I would love to sneak onto a table next to some $200-$300 Pomerols and watch it shock even the most experienced tasters. As you may know, we direct-import a lot of great-value Bordeaux here at SommSelect, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore what other importers dig up; we can’t be everywhere, and by any measure, Clos de Galevesses is an amazing find. Part of a portfolio of Right Bank châteaux owned by the Pradel de Lavaux family, Clos de Galevesses deserves a ranking among the best Bordeaux values we’ve offered on SommSelect, even if we didn’t import it ourselves. There’s so much wine for the money here I can hardly believe it!
The “not so expensive” part still applies, but as we’re learning time and time again these days, these satellite wines are often much more than mere “echoes.” It should be obvious by now that this ’16 from Clos des Galevesses is one of them: Sourced from a five-hectare parcel where vine age averages 30 years, it’s a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged 15 months in French oak barriques before bottling. It’s loaded with plump, plummy fruit, underpinned by terrific freshness and framed by silky tannins—rich and seductive but not cloying, very much in the spirit of culty Pomerol labels costing many multiples more. In the glass, it’s an opaque garnet-purple moving to magenta at the rim, showing off Merlot’s darker, richer aromatics: violets, black plum, and blueberry mixed with cocoa powder, leather, crushed gravel and tobacco. It is full-bodied and opulent but with a mineral, wet-clay imprint that roots it in the Right Bank—it is proudly, undeniably Bordeaux, rich without being glossy or “international.” It is just now starting to enter its peak drinking window, which is likely to remain open over the next 5-7 years, so do yourself a huge favor and stock up: Decant this about 30 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Bordeaux stems and you’ve got one velvety, multi-dimensional glass of red wine on your hands. Pair it with the attached duck breast recipe for a seriously indulgent dinner. You deserve it!