SommSelect was built on over-performing wines like Château de Pitray’s “Premier Vin” from the Côtes de Castillon. This direct import is a textbook example of why it pays to do your geography homework. A mere eight kilometres from Saint-Émilion’s iconic belltower, this lesser-known region produces extraordinarily affordable wines grown in the same powerful blend of clay and limestone that birth Pavie, Figeac, and Cheval-Blanc.
It’s nothing short of thrilling to find a wine that combines complexity, history, viticultural artistry, and insane affordability. Chȃteau de Pitray’s Jean de Boigne is making wines for the frugal hedonist—he wants fruit concentration, he wants velvety tannins, he wants layers, and he wants minerality, all for the best price possible. He’s hand-crafting wines designed for food and conversation with friends. The quality is exceptional, the story worth sharing, and you’re not breaking the bank when you reach for a second or third bottle—heck, at this price, you could pour it at a wedding and blow a whole bunch of minds at once! Throw in the fact that this silky 2015 is just entering its perfect drinking window and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal, anywhere!
Jean inherited this Right Bank gem from his mother, whose family has owned Pitray for 600 years. Their ancestor was one of Lafayette’s Admirals during the American War of Independence, military strategy being the only thing the Pitrays do as well as wine. The family’s history is remembered in stunning military portraits, objects of art, and the helm of the ship that carried the successful Admiral de Suffren to America. Jean has every intention of passing on the property to his children and grows his grapes with longevity in mind. The 36 hectares of contiguous vineyards that go into Pitray’s Premier Vin are an average of 35 years old. Chȃteau de Pitray’s vines are grown without the use of herbicides in order to encourage healthy cover-cropping and to preserve the wild meadows that surround the vineyard. Old-growth cedars and oaks dot the property and the chȃteau is famous for its profusion of wild orchids and naturally occurring truffles. There are rolling green hills, happy vineyard dogs, and an old limestone swimming pool to take a dip during the heat of harvest.
The Côtes de Castillon abuts the eastern border of Saint-Émilion, and benefits from the same deep clay and limestone soils that impart the region’s signature minerality. Jean’s vines are 75 percent Merlot, 23 percent Cabernet Franc, and 2 percent Malbec. He takes a very relaxed attitude towards both viticulture and winemaking, operating with the confidence of a man whose blood runs Bordeaux. Jean lets the vines grow by themselves and interferes in the vineyard as little as possible, trusting his extraordinary soils to do the majority of the work. Winemaking is similarly hands-off: Grapes undergo up to three weeks of cold maceration for the Premier Vin. The tanks are slowly warmed up to awaken the indigenous yeast strains and launch alcoholic fermentation. The different lots are kept separate for aging: Merlot in French oak and the Cabernet Franc and Malbec in stainless steel to preserve their bright floral aromas. The wine softens for 12 months before being blended and bottled.
Jean values precision, balance, and drinkability above all else. This is immediately obvious in the 2015 Premier Vin, which sings right out of the bottle—a burst of classic black plum and red currant. The 2015 vintage is considered an exceptional one for the Côtes de Castillon and Bordeaux in general: softer tannins, more fruit, and exceptional quality across the board. Serve this wine at 60-65 degrees in Bordeaux stems. Decanting isn’t necessary, but will coax a little more aromatic finesse out of this fresh, expressive wine. Warm tobacco notes balance dusty red fruits. The palate is refined, silky, and wonderfully playful with a top note of crushed purple flowers. Alcohol is well-integrated and there are no obvious oak notes, just a soft, earthy spice character reminiscent of cedarwood. Good acidity hints at some ageability here--the wine will be peaking for the next five years. Serve it with something rich and chocolate-y like mole enchiladas. It’s no accident you make them by the pan; that’s enough food to invite a few people over and enjoy several bottles over the course of an evening. This is Bordeaux made for sharing!
