If you’ve seen any of the “SOMM” films, you know that my colleagues and I sometimes throw out fanciful descriptors (i.e. “fresh-cut garden hose”) for things we smell and taste in wine. But even some of our more orthodox interpretations—like saying a wine smells and tastes of the soil it is grown in—are met with skepticism sometimes.
Is it really oyster shells we’re smelling in that Chablis, or, in the case of today’s wine, wet gravel we’re picking up in that Bordeaux? My answer is an emphatic yes. This 2012 from Château Baret hails from Graves—which is, of course, both a region and a soil type (graves means “gravel,” because, yes, sometimes place names really are that literal). Pessac-Léognan, a Graves sub-region just outside the city of Bordeaux (and home of First Growth Haut-Brion), has some of the deepest gravel in the region and its wines, like this one, evoke it in the most viscerally satisfying way. A lot of modern Bordeaux is driven by sappy fruit extract and expensive oak, but this one is a soulful and delicious evocation of the earth. It’s serious, old-school red Bordeaux with a little bit of bottle age, but make no mistake: Whereas many of our direct-import finds are at or near their peak, this one’s just starting its climb. It is incredible now, but still has a long life ahead of it. The price-to-quality is off the charts and those of you curating a cellar should not miss it—it’s affordable enough to purchase by the case and enjoy over the next decade and beyond.
The assemblage (blend) of the 2012 Château Baret ended up at 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Cabernet Franc, aged about one year in a mix of new and used oak barrels. The 2012 vintage (hailed as one of the great recent years for dry whites, incidentally, which Pessac-Léognan is also known for) produced a more linear, structured, place-expressive breed of red Graves wines, and what you’ll notice in today’s wine is that its firm tannins are just beginning to resolve after a some four years of bottle age. In the glass, it’s a deep garnet red moving to hints of light garnet and orange at the rim. Classic Bordeaux aromas jump from red-fruited to black-fruited and back again: scents of black plum, cassis, red currant, tobacco and cedar intermingle with—yes—lots of wet gravel. Medium-plus in body and still powerfully structured, this has a very ‘noble’ bearing to it and lots of the smoky, earthy savor typical of classic “claret,” with notes of graphite, cedar, and tobacco dominating the finish along with a hint of violet and blue plum. Open a bottle or two now to get a baseline—but decant it a good hour before serving in Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees—then watch how it continues to evolve over the next 10-15 years. It’s got the structure to get there, I’m certain of it, and you can’t go wrong with a roasted chateaubriand to go with it, whenever you pull the cork. How great is it to have such an affordable luxury at your disposal? Enjoy!