Every time one of our direct-import wines arrives in our warehouse, I stop myself from immediately pulling a bottle and checking it out. I’m always (over) eager to see if the wine lives up to my memory of it after its long journey across the ocean, but first we need to let it rest for a bit.
Having done that, it’s time for the “reveal”: At 10 years of age, this perfumed and elegant Left Bank red is a bit of an outlier among the assorted Bordeaux we’ve trotted out over the last few months. For one thing, it was not aged in oak—mostly cement tanks—and for another, it has the kind of tension and aromatic lift we more readily associate with expensive Burgundian reds. For those of you who yearn for the days of classically proportioned ‘clarets,’ this is the Bordeaux for you—the kind I could imagine Sean Connery-era James Bond drinking. Hailing from one of the great ‘sleeper’ vintages in recent memory and just entering its prime drinking window, this wine oozes sophistication and soil-driven realness. And of course, I’m compelled to mention the price, which, once again, bears no logical relationship to the wine’s quality. Grab a case-plus now and share it with friends and family over the holidays: Not only will it sing all winter long but for many years to come!
The Gironde Estuary is the natural boundary of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, which is sometimes referred to as the Médoc. But the term can be confusing. “Médoc” traditionally refers to the entire Left Bank area, containing the famous AOCs of Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Margaux, but as an officially codified appellation, on a wine label, it refers to the downstream neighborhood of the Gironde, the northern vineyards above Saint-Estèphe where clay intercepts gravel, making it a friendly terroir for more Merlot and less Cabernet Sauvignon. Estates such as Château Pontensac, Goulée by Cos d’Estournel, and Légende by Lafite are a few of the more familiar names who have planted vines in this “wild west” of Bordeaux—a hot spot for accessibility, consistency, and wines that over-deliver. Sainte Marguerite is their under-the-radar neighbor, and it embraces its outlier status in another noteworthy way: In a region where aging in French oak barriques is routine and liberally practiced, Château Marguerite stands firmly with steel and cement. Marguerite is a champion of pure, “makeup-free wines, and this Merlot-dominant blend is an evocative melding of cigar-scented earth and pristine fruit.
We acquired as much of this wine as we could, realizing that the quality for a 10-year old Bordeaux, at this price, is a prize all by itself. But in addition, the 2008 Bordeaux vintage has become a “sleeper” hit. It is not a blockbuster like 2005, ’09, or ’10, nor was it as complicated as 2006 or 2007. 2008s sit safely in between, and with time, they’ve proved to be usefully underrated (useful to those of us who crave value, that is). Like the vintage, Château Sainte Marguerite maintains a low-key profile, tucked away in the village of Bégadan, a 10-minute drive north of Saint-Estèphe. The property, owned by the Tramier family, encompasses 9 hectares of clay-heavy gravels, planted with Merlot, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. With proximity to the chilly Atlantic and its coastal winds that tunnel through pockets of the Landes forest, the terroir of Marguerite is prime for earlier-ripening Merlot. Cooler than inland Pomerol and St-Émilion, it is almost impossible to achieve monstrous alcohol levels this far north. Balance and restraint do exist, and they’re on display here.
With 65% Merlot, the 2008 Sainte Marguerite colors the glass with deep dusty red plum, leading to a garnet rim flecked with orange. Don’t be fooled by the mature color: this wine has plenty of bright, still-youthful fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon (35%) and Petit Verdot buckle up the wine with a chord of soft-edged tannin. Fermented with natural yeasts and bottled with minimal sulfur, give the wine a good 30 minutes of air after uncorking the bottle—if you choose to decant the wine, do so about 15 minutes before service; otherwise, stand the bottle upright in a cool, dark place and pour slowly once uncorked (watching for sediment). Use your best Bordeaux stems and give the wine a soft swirl to unleash the charms of old-school claret. On the nose, the wine exudes cigar-box, dusty gravels, and a thin red line of iron-rich clay. Underneath the savory crust is a melody of fresh fruits: red raspberries, dark smoky cherries, rosy plum, and black currant. There’s a comforting, wintry forest spice, which makes me want a case to stash in my cellar for when the first cold storm christens the season. With food, I’m leaning towards lamb for its robust deep flavor, which syncs effortlessly with aged Bordeaux. It’s always good to have a go-to recipe in your back pocket when hosting a last-minute dinner party. Try the attached and surprise your guests with well-aged Bordeaux. Not a bad way to ring in the holidays!
