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Château Puygueraud, Francs-Côte de Bordeaux

Bordeaux, France 2010 (750mL)
$30.00
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Château Puygueraud, Francs-Côte de Bordeaux

Is there anywhere else in the world besides Bordeaux where you can find a perfectly stored, decade-old wine, crafted by a dynastic winemaking family in a historic terroir, for $30? I don’t think so, and it’s precisely why we pour so much energy into visiting the region and unearthing treasures like this 2010 from Château Puygueraud.


Bordeaux experts will recognize this label immediately: It’s one of several acclaimed properties on Bordeaux’s “Right Bank” run by the influential Thienpont family, which counts the likes of Château Le Pin and Vieux Château Certan among its holdings. In the tiny Côte de Francs AOC, Thienpont and Puygueraud are the names to know—this château is the reference point for the appellation, crafting sumptuous, long-lived reds from the same clay-limestone soils found in the top sites in nearby Saint-Émilion. Since arriving directly from perfect storage conditions in Bordeaux, this wine has since enjoyed further undisturbed rest in our temperature-controlled warehouse—and when you pour this opulent, inky beauty into the glass, it’s easy to forget it’s got nearly a decade of bottle age behind it! You’ve seen this from us before, so don’t be shocked by the price: These unbelievably affordable gems are out there, and it’s always a momentous occasion when we roll one out. Get some while you can, because there’s not a lot to go around!


Côte de Francs is at the eastern edge of Bordeaux’s “right bank” appellations, and is something of an extension of the clay/limestone plateau that characterizes much of Saint-Émilion. Château Puygueraud was run down when Georges Thienpont acquired it in 1946, so much so that the vines were ripped out and not replanted until decades later. But Belgian-born Georges, whom the current generation of Thienponts call the “founding father,” already had several prestige properties in Bordeaux to keep him busy—most notably Vieux Château Certan, in Pomerol, and Troplong-Mondot, in Saint-Émilion (sold in 1935). Puygueraud, in the village of Saint-Cibard, became the home of one of Georges’ sons, George (no “s”). He and his wife, Monica, had 13 children, including current Estate Director Nicolas Thienpont, who runs the property alongside his son, Cyrille. I think this is what might be called an “entrenched” winemaking family.



The Thienponts farm 42 hectares of red grapes and five hectares of whites, subdivided into more than 60 parcels. As is typical in Bordeaux, the mix of varieties in their vineyards is reflected in the typical composition of the wine in any given year. About 80% of the Puygueraud vineyard is planted to Merlot, followed by 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, the latter something of a rarity these days in Bordeaux.



A quick spin through your preferred vintage chart will confirm the 2010 vintage as an all-timer, known for powerful, optimally ripe wines. Puygueraud’s ’10, composed of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec, aged for a little over a year in 33% new French oak barriques, and is now right in its prime drinking window: This is an inky, concentrated Bordeaux, with a still-youthful ruby-black hue and loads of plummy fruit on the nose. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cocoa, violets, tobacco, and tar carry over to the full-bodied palate, which is lush and multi-layered, showing beautiful evolution and velvet-soft tannins. Although there is more positive development ahead of this wine (if you decide to cellar some), my feeling is, as they say in golf, “grip it and rip it.” This is ready to drink and quite delicious at that—decant it 30 minutes before service (look out for light sediment) and serve at 60 degrees in large Bordeaux stems. It’s opulent, even a little decadent, so cook accordingly: some braised short ribs or maybe a well-charred, well-seasoned hanger steak of the grill. This is affordable luxury at its best. Cheers!

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Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Sub-Region
FranceCôte de Francs
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Merlot 75%, Cabernet Franc 20%, Malbec 5%
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
33% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stems
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
15 Minutes (Sediment)
Pairing
Grilled Hanger Steak

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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