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Chateau Coutelin-Merville, Saint-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois

Bordeaux, France 2006 (750mL)
$29.00
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Chateau Coutelin-Merville, Saint-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois

When it comes to fine wine, Saint-Estèphe, Margaux, Pauillac, and Saint-Julien are globally idolized appellations that represent the “Grand Cru” cluster of Left Bank Bordeaux. Tasting a wine from one of these storied terroirs is a truly singular experience, and if you can find one that leaves your bank account practically unscathed, you’ll be forever hooked. Today’s 2006 Saint-Estèphe from Château Coutelin-Merville is one of those bottles. 
When we included this in our Thanksgiving Six-Pack a couple of months ago, there was one common theme throughout all the feedback: Everyone wanted more Coutelin-Merville! But, because (1) our remaining quantities were so low and (2) we wanted to send out an independent offer, we had to squirrel the rest away. It’s now been two months, and we can’t wait another minute. This nearly 15-year-old Saint-Estèphe is bound to stun all newcomers and will most certainly re-attract those who gushed about it over Thanksgiving. It’s absolutely bursting with sublime layers of rustic fruit and gravelly savor, a sensory experience that can only be perfected by a château generations-deep in the intricacies of Cabernet and Merlot (it also helps when some of your vine real estate is flirting with Second Growths Montrose and Cos d’Estournel!). As always, provenance is perfect—temperature-controlled directly from Bordeaux—and this 2006 can’t be found anywhere else on the globe, so I highly recommend you jump to it! 
In 1932, Bordeaux wine merchants came together with the backing of their local Chambers of Commerce and Agriculture to create a prestigious list of standout estates—the ‘Cru Bourgeois’—and, today, Château Coutelin-Merville is among them. You’ll find a large number of châteaux holding this quality designation throughout Haut-Médoc, but don’t mistake that for easy club access: Each member is reviewed annually by an overseeing board that puts them through a rigorous three-stage evaluation process.

Owned and passed down by the Estager family since 1904, Chateau Coutelin-Merville is a humble estate that oversees 25 hectares of vines throughout Saint-Estèphe, with some parcels wedged between Montrose and Cos d’Estournel! One of Coutelin-Merville’s secrets to crafting delicious wines is a heavy proportion of Merlot (~50%) followed by roughly equal parts Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. Another is a patient, delicate touch in the winery: a cool fermentation takes place over a three-week period in concrete vessels and then 18 months of aging is carried out in mostly used French barrels (20% new). 

In the glass, Coutelin-Merville’s 2006 Saint-Estèphe Grand Vin reveals a deep garnet core moving out to a hazy brick red/orange rim. Now right in its sweet spot after more than a decade of bottle age, this Left Bank Bordeaux flaunts its heavy proportion of lush, delicately fruited Merlot and offers up a dazzling array of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc “secondary” notes. You’ll discover dried plum skin, black raspberry, redcurrant, black cherries, pencil lead, vintage leather, cigar box, tobacco leaf, graphite, sweet mint, crushed gravel, and a touch of baking spice. The supple, medium-plus bodied palate is bursting with dusty mineral savor and a reverberating core of ripe and dried black/red fruit. Intricately layered, expressive, refined—that’s what I seek out in blue-chip Bordeaux, and when you can find one for under $30, well, that’s the Holy Grail. This is to be enjoyed now and over the next decade, with a hearty grilled lamb dish drenched in a bordelaise sauce. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Sub-Region
FranceSaint-Estèphe
Soil
Calcareous Clay & Gravel
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Merlot 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Cabernet Franc 22%, Petit Verdot 3%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
20% New French
TEMP.
60
Glassware
Bordeaux Stem
Drinking
Now-2026+
Decanting
15 Minutes
Pairing
Grilled Lamb Chops w/ Bordelaise 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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