Even casual observers of the Bordeaux scene know something about the 2010 vintage. Maybe you recall some of the breathless press it received, and the sticker shock that ensued when the top
châteaux released their prices. But let’s say all that hype completely escaped your notice—you’re still going to do a double-take when viewing today’s offer. Yes, Bordeaux is vast, and yes, we’ve shown time and time again how much incredible value is lurking around every corner, but that doesn't make today's 2010 Charmes de Clos Chaumont, at $22, any less exceptional.
We’re all about value wine from wherever it may come—Germany is a great hunting ground, and Beaujolais, too, but today’s Bordeaux takes the value crown back and struts around the room showing it off. In a region that is already famous for its Sauternes-adjacent sweet whites (Cadillac), Château Clos Chaumont produces polished, seductive reds from its clay/limestone soils, with invaluable input from well-traveled consultant Hubert de Boüard, co-owner of St-Émilion’s acclaimed Château Angélus. As today’s sleek, sophisticated 2010 approaches a decade in bottle, it has found its sweet spot, with more delicious drinking still to come. For $22. That’s downright amazing, so we stocked up on it. Take as much as you like: We’ve got you covered!
As an avid en primeur (futures) buyer, Dutchman Pieter Verbeek caught the Bordeaux bug back in the 1970s and his love soon evolved into the opposite side of consumption—production. In 1990, he stumbled upon a fixer-upper in Haux, a town in the Entre Deux-Mers region, which stretches between the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers southeast of the city of Bordeaux. In one interview, he described Clos Chaumont’s condition on his arrival as a “complete mess,” adding that “there was only land and a house where you could live, but not in a good way.” But he saw the potential, so he immediately went to work restoring the buildings and planting Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The first vintage of the new era was 1994, and since then the property has grown to about 25 acres of vineyards, overseen by on-site managers Viviane and Didier Ginelli. Hubert de Boüard came aboard as an enological consultant in the early 2000s, adding Clos Chaumont to a roster of clients that stretches across Bordeaux’s right and left banks.
Having grown up in his family’s vineyards at Angélus, in Saint-Émilion, de Boüard is intimately familiar with the clay, gravel, and limestone soil makeup found also at Clos Chaumont. At one time, the estate’s wines carried the Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOC, which later changed to the more geographically precise Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux. Many subscribers will recognize Cadillac as parts of the cluster of towns—including Barsac and Sauternes—producing botrytis-affected sweet wines, but as you move further away from the Garonne River, deeper into Entre Deux-Mers, dry whites and reds take over.
The 2010 Charmes de Clos Chaumont is comprised of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon fermented in concrete tanks and aged one year in mostly used French oak barrels. Several vintage reports I’ve read about 2010 comment on how alcohols were slightly elevated but that acidity levels were more than sufficient to counteract that—which is on fascinating display here. The wine is powerful, with a healthy amount of glycerol coating the palate, yet it finishes fresh and clean. Bottle age has brought it to place where sweet fruit and savory earth share the spotlight: In the glass, it has a deep, brackish garnet-red core moving to crimson at the rim—a healthy, youthful color that speaks to perfect cellar conditions—and the aromas are a heady mix of black plum, black raspberry, fennel, cedar, tobacco, graphite, dark chocolate, and coffee grounds. It is full-bodied on the palate and, price notwithstanding, expensive-tasting; I would be downright shocked by it if I were served it blind, because it has an exceptionally luxurious feel. Decant this right before serving to separate it from any sediment and serve it at 60 degrees to allow its voluptuous fruit to shine. It is peaking right now and should continue to drink beautifully over the next 3-5 years, and is poised to raise eyebrows whenever you pull a bottle—which is to say, grab a case of this and stow it away. Braise some beef cheeks for one of the greatest low-budget food and wine pairings of your life—you simply can’t get more wine for the money! Enjoy!
