When it comes to elite Left Bank Bordeaux, the villages of Pauillac, Margaux, Saint-Julien, and Saint-Estèphe are globally idolized as the grandest “pay-to-play” appellations. Tasting a classic red from one of these storied terroirs is a truly singular experience, but finding one that leaves your bank account unscathed has largely become a pipe dream. However, if one conducts their own extensive hunt and sidesteps the middleman, value-loaded treasures can become a legitimate reality once again. That’s exactly how today’s smoking 2014—one of my favorite contemporary Bordeaux vintages—can be all yours for just $34.

Here’s the story: Back in 2018, I was deep in Saint-Estèphe, packed into a small car with Château Coutelin-Merville’s owner, Bernard Estager. Our destination was a “secret” parcel that was exclusively used for his “Haut Tour de Coutelin” label. Upon arrival, we craned our heads upward to absorb an ancient, seemingly medieval tower (depicted on the front label) that served as both a beacon and marker for his vines. It didn’t take much longer to realize just how grand of a site we were in, evidenced by the fact that Monsieur Estager was spouting off a who’s who of famous, top-dollar neighbors left and right. Back at the château, we tasted a number of exceptional back vintages and immediately struck up a deal. Today’s offer was among those tasted that day, and finally, after nearly four years, it’s in our possession—that extra bottle age has increased its pleasure tenfold! So here it is: Haut Tour de Coutelin’s wonderfully supple and savory 2014, straight from Bordeaux and temp-controlled the entire way, for $34. Ignoring a properly mature Saint-Estèphe at this price should be criminal! 

Owned and passed down by the Estager family since 1904, Château Coutelin-Merville oversees a few dozen hectares throughout Saint-Estèphe, and current proprietor Bernard Estager’s recent vine acquisition surrounded by an old tower (tour) resulted in the birth of today’s “Haut Tour de Coutelin” label. One of their secrets to crafting delicious wines is a heavy proportion of Merlot (~50%) followed by roughly equal parts Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. His 30-year-old vines—situated at the highest point in Saint-Estèphe—are farmed sustainably, without chemicals, and a cool fermentation in concrete vessels takes place back at the Château Coutelin-Merville. Afterward, a full 12 months of aging is carried out in French barrels, 25% new, so as not to bludgeon the wine and terroir with oak-dominated spice. 

Says wine veteran Roger Voss at the time of the 2014 Bordeaux releases: “This vintage has produced many excellent wines, some verging on superb, with quality that reaches deep into the unclassified estates.” Today’s sensational library release is one of those estates to which he was referring. This is a mind-bending value that could only be born by a generations-deep château. It’s soft and savory with a resoundingly terroir-marked punch. In the glass, it pours a dark ruby with flecks of garnet and after a 15-minute decant, seductive aromatics begin to waft out: dried black cherry, red plum, blackcurrant, raspberry, rolling tobacco, damp cedar, crushed gravel, pencil lead, and hints of baking spice. It delivers a dark and structured mouthfeel while retaining its Left Bank authenticity via extended layers of pulverized minerals and savory earth. We typically don’t label a $34 wine as a collector item, but when you consider just how hard it is to find one from Saint-Estèphe, with this pedigree, provenance, and age, how can we not call it a red-hot investment? Enjoy now and over the next 5-7 years!