We’re constantly on the lookout for back vintage and library wines that may have fallen through the cracks, so when I got word that an importer friend who we regularly work with was sitting on a small caché of 1998 Bordeaux I was immediately intrigued. However, the Château was not a marquée name, and the appellation was, well, humble. So we asked to taste, and boy am I glad we did! The wine is squarely entering its peak drinking window, which actually isn’t surprising given that the 1998 vintage was a phenomenal one on the Right Bank, where the Côtes de Castillon is situated, and it’s a magnum, which slows and dramatically improves the aging process. Swirling red and black fruits, spice box, cedar, leather, and hints of mint–yup, all the benchmarks of aged Bordeaux are there in droves. Oh, and it is a shockingly good value. We don’t have much though, so act fast before these beauties are long gone!
The Côtes de Bordeaux appellation is relatively new, having been created in 2009, but of course the vineyard area that this sub-region covers is ancient. Unlike the more famous villages of the Left Bank (Pauillac, Margaux, etc.) which were generally planted in the late medieval era with help from the Dutch and British, the Right Bank communes of Pomerol, Saint-Emilion, and for today’s wine Castillon-la-Bataille, all have a viticultural history that dates back at least 2000 years to the height of the Roman Empire. Why were these areas planted so much earlier? The answer is in the soil: Much of the Left Bank required river drainage and management to avoid flooding, and as such, these soils are predominantly gravel and river sediments, but on the Right Bank there’s a large plateau with rolling hills and soils of clay and limestone that are at an elevation where flooding does not occur. Centuries of experience have proven that Cabernet likes those gravelly soils, while Merlot prefers the heavier clay/limestone mix. And that, in essence, is the heart of Right versus Left in the Bordeaux universe.
The Côtes de Castillon sits at the easternmost boundary of that clay/limestone plateau and for most of its history was a single appellation, but that changed when the AOC officials decided to combine Castillon with its neighbors Blaye and Francs to create a single appellation that designates the commune in front of the Côtes de Bordeaux catch all. Regardless, this is Merlot country, and today’s highly underrated Château Lideyre farms a lovely, 20 hectare plot of old vines in the heart of Castillon. Winemaking is steadfastly traditional, with cool fermentation in tanks and racking into French oak barrels, mostly used, for about 12 months before bottling. The Bardet family, highly regarded viticulturists throughout the Right Bank, have owned and operated this property since 1962.
All that is to say that the wines of Château Lideyre are textbook examples of Castillon Bordeaux, providing excellent value year in and year out. Generally these wines reach their peak at about 10-15 years of age, but when a blockbuster vintage like 1998 comes around that aging potential increases dramatically. Add to that the magnum format, which as I mentioned allows for the optimal, slow aging that allows Bordeaux to truly blossom, and you have a hidden gem of a deal–one for the ages!
I would definitely recommend a gentle decant into a large carafe in order to leave behind any sediment and allow a little oxygen to “wake up” this sleeping giant. In the glass the 1998 still has a deep ruby core, but there are clear hints of brick orange at the rim that correspond to its over 25 years of age. Classic aromas of Damson plum, red current, wild blueberry, cigar box, cedar, espresso, mint, and a whiff of dried meat are all woven around a medium weight wine that has soft, sweet tannins and still maintains good structure and excellent length. In a word this is peak Bordeaux perfection, and with proper storage these magnums will continue to shine for at least three to five more years, so I would grab at least a three pack, if not more!
