Today’s discovery might be familiar to long-time SommSelect subscribers, but since it’s been a few years allow me to (re) introduce you to the amazing value of the 2006 Château Coutelin-Merville. This now 18-year-old showpiece boasts muscular layers of dark, deep fruit, gravelly savor, and the truly indelible secondary flavors of mature Saint-Estèphe. A sensory experience such as this cannot be replicated: Only from this terroir, and a château generations-deep in the intricacies of Merlot and Cabernet, can a Bordeaux of this magnitude be created—although it’s helpful when some of your vines are flirting with Second Growths Montrose and Cos d’Estournel, too! As if all this wasn’t already enticing enough, the provenance on today’s parcel is impeccable: cellared on site for 15 years, then a straight, temperature-controlled shot to our supplier’s warehouse. Now that’s how you make $40 stretch!
In 1932, Bordeaux wine merchants came together with the backing of their local Chambers of Commerce and Agriculture to create a prestigious list of standout estates, the “Cru Bourgeois.” You’ll find a large number of châteaux—Coutelin-Merville among them—holding this quality designation throughout Haut-Médoc, but don’t mistake that for easy club access: Each member is reviewed annually by an overseeing board that puts them through a rigorous three-stage evaluation process.
Owned and passed down by the Estager family since 1904, Chateau Coutelin-Merville is a humble estate that oversees 25 hectares of vines throughout Saint-Estèphe, with some parcels wedged between Montrose and Cos d’Estournel! One of Coutelin-Merville’s secrets to crafting delicious wines is a heavy proportion of Merlot (~50%) followed by roughly equal parts Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. Another is a patient, delicate touch in the winery: a cool fermentation takes place over a three-week period in concrete vessels and then 18 months of aging is carried out in French barrels, 20% new.
In the glass, Coutelin-Merville’s 2006 Grand Vin reveals all the hallmarks of exquisite, 15-20-year-old Saint-Estèphe. The core is a vibrant garnet moving out to a hazy, lighter-red rim and it only takes about 30 minutes in a decanter to unlock its savory aromatic portal: red plum, dried black cherry, dried rose petal, currant, dusty herbs, cedar, pencil lead, clove, tobacco, wet gravel, pepper, and vintage leather. Coming in at 18 years old, this superb Left Bank Bordeaux is hitting peak maturity, flaunting a heavy proportion of lushly textured Merlot with the structured secondary flavors of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc in the backdrop. It’s medium-plus in body, and still impressively firm with a tannic grip and savory mineral core propelling it into a supple finish. Intricate layers, refinement, savory grip—that’s what I want in maturing Bordeaux, and at this price, it’s worth making room for a case!
