The truth of Bordeaux is that there aren’t many small family domaines left. This is, after all, perhaps the most famous winemaking region in the world, and it’s seen decades and decades of international investment and consolidation. But we love finding the outliers, that’s our job, and Château Auney L’Hermitage is one of my favorite examples of a small, family owned and operated, quality-through-the-roof domaine in the region. Christian Auney and his wife, Sylvie, assembled this jewel box estate by purchasing vineyards planted by small growers around the village of La Bréde. Many of these sites were abandoned, and as a result, the Auneys have worked diligently to bring them back to life. This is not glitzy, flying wine consultant type juice, this is truly authentic, old-school Graves that will make any wine lover smile.
This estate was known as Château Le Chec until 2012, when the Auneys renamed it. Over the course of many years, through methodical acquisitions, the Auneys have built their vineyard holdings to about 8.5 hectares—a very small estate, by Bordeaux standards. They produce two cuvées each of white and red Graves, favoring Sémillon in their white and Merlot in their red. Graves, which, in addition to being one of the most versatile terroirs in Bordeaux (white, sweet, and red wines are all great), is the only one named for its predominant soil type (gravel, as deposited over millennia by the Garonne River). Of course, it’s somewhat foolish to ascribe a “gravelly” quality to red wines from the region, but taste this: It’s not an exaggeration to say that Graves reds are among the earthier, spicier styles of Bordeaux’s Left Bank.
The Auneys have achieved organic certification, still rather rare in Bordeaux. And Sylvie and Christian are the only producers in La Bréde to harvest their fruit by hand. This Graves Rouge is driven by Merlot (60%), supported by a not-insignificant percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), and rounded it out with some Cabernet Franc for spice, and Malbec (now very rare in this region) for depth–giving it a very classic Graves profile. Grapes were completely de-stemmed and fermented in stainless steel. Aging was carried out in 225- and 400-liter barrels (25% new) for 15 months.
This ready-to-drink 2019 needs only a quick decant to really start strutting its stuff. It was an excellent vintage, and the Auneys coaxed every bit of their excellent terroir into the fruit. In the glass it shines a deep garnet-ruby in the glass, with notes of cassis, black and red plum, violet, green tobacco, graphite, leather, crushed gravel, and warm spice. It has a substantial, even weighty, feel on the palate, with well-integrated tannins and excellent freshness preventing any syrupy sensations. We’re talking good, old-fashioned, stick-to-your-ribs Bordeaux here. Pair with cassoulet or pot roast on a cold night and you will be warmed from head to toe!
