Before Julien Fayard became one of the industry’s hottest names, he worked (and briefly lived) at First Growth Château Lafite-Rothschild, and after a stint with another prestigious château, Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Julien left Bordeaux for Napa in 2006. He began working alongside acclaimed winemaker Philippe Melka at his wine consulting firm. Since then, Julien has branched out to leave his own, unique footprint, having started some of his own projects—Purlieu (and its sister label, Le Pich) being one of them. In today’s bottle, you’ll find Cabernet from some of the top vineyard sites in the sub-appellations of Coombsville, Rutherford, and St. Helena. 

As is true in Burgundy, Napa holds incredible diversity within its vineyards—this stretching valley is filled with various microclimates, which is why Julien tailors his farming to each plot. In the same Robert Parker interview, Julien goes on to say: “No two rows are farmed the same way. In Burgundy you can have 25 producers making wine from one vineyard. I try to understand exactly what I’m doing when I make a decision, from pump-overs to the types of tanks used for aging, the diversity of the tanks, the temperatures of the fermentations, all those little things have an effect on the wine.” For his 2015 Le Pich, each Cabernet parcel underwent different processes in the vineyard and winery, all of which culminated in a final blend of 100% Cabernet that aged for 20 months in 80% new French barrels.

Le Pich’s 2018 Cabernet displays a deep, dark-purple core that shows complete opacity all the way out to a magenta and crimson-hued rim. As with his ‘Burgundian approach’ there is great elegance and aromatic lift on the nose, but this is unmistakably richly layered Cabernet. It’s a conundrum how Cabernet sourced from some of Napa’s most coveted sites can drink this well so early, but with a 60 minute decant (or longer, if preferred) the explosive nose reveals basketfuls of ripe black and red plums, black cherry liqueur, star anise, currants, bay leaf, boysenberry, purple flowers, rose petal, graphite, turned earth, cigar box, and exotic baking spices. The palate is full and silky, showcasing ultra-ripe black and red fruits alongside wonderful freshness, edible flowers, and intoxicating hints of spice and crème de cacao. Le Pich has nailed the harmony of finesse, power, and luxuriousness in a single bottle and despite its uncanny ability to drink well in its youth, it will push into 2030 with ease, with its peak coming around its seventh or eighth birthday. Give this proper air if consuming in its youth and make sure to drink slowly over several hours in large Bordeaux stems. Enjoy next to pan-seared bison steaks and for those who aren’t faint of heart, prepare a quick herb butter sauce for that extra level of sumptuosity. Cheers!