Like me, you all are not shy about your affinity for Bordeaux. A perfectly sculpted bottle of mature Left Bank showcases (1) the breathtaking interplay of premium Cabernet and Merlot; (2) the unlimited savor of gravelly terroir; and (3) the magnificent complexities that emerge when a bottle nears 10 years of age. And while we believe every bottle we offer you hits all these markers, there’s really nothing else like a Left Bank from 2010, an immortalized growing season that lifted already great Bordeaux properties to a truly magical, out-of-this-world state.
Right out of the gate, critics didn’t hesitate to label it “vintage of the century,” or “the best ever.” Nearly 10 years on, these powerful, silky wines have been further lionized for their longevity, and it’s no stretch to say the top bottlings will last over 50 years. So, yes, 2010 Bordeaux deserves all the praise that has already been heaped upon it, and then some more. Upon initial release, they were the most expensive wines in Bordeaux history, and the passing of time hasn’t softened the blow. It’s so rare to find a value Bordeaux in 2010, that I’ve yet to locate more than a few dynamite bottles from this stuff-of-legend vintage. Sainte Marguerite, however, is one of those exceedingly rare exceptions. For under $30, this delivers one of the most pleasurable Left Bank experiences I’ve had. This comes to you directly from Bordeaux and it’s almost never seen in America (we’re the only ones who have the 2010), so take what you can and flaunt them at your dinner table over the next decade!
At 10 years of age, this perfumed, voluptuously layered Left Bank red is a bit of an outlier among the assorted Bordeaux we’ve trotted out over the last few months. For one thing, it was not aged in oak—mostly cement tanks—and for another, it has the kind of tension and aromatic lift we more readily associate with expensive Burgundian reds. For those who yearn for the days of classically proportioned ‘clarets,’ this sophisticated and soil-driven Bordeaux is for you, the kind I could imagine Sean Connery-era James Bond drinking.
The Gironde Estuary is the natural boundary of Bordeaux’s Left Bank, which is sometimes referred to as the Médoc. But the term can be confusing. “Médoc” traditionally refers to the entire Left Bank area, containing the famous AOCs of Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Margaux, but as an officially codified appellation, on a wine label, it refers to the downstream neighborhood of the Gironde, the northern vineyards above Saint-Estèphe where clay intercepts gravel, making it a friendly terroir for more Merlot and less Cabernet Sauvignon. Estates such as Château Pontensac, Goulée by Cos d’Estournel, and Légende by Lafite are a few of the more familiar names who have planted vines in this “wild west” of Bordeaux—a hot spot for accessibility, consistency, and wines that over-deliver. Sainte Marguerite is their under-the-radar neighbor, and it embraces its outlier status in another noteworthy way: In a region where aging in French oak barriques is routine and liberally practiced, Château Marguerite stands firmly with steel and cement. Marguerite is a champion of pure, “makeup-free wines, and this Merlot-dominant blend is an evocative melding of cigar-scented earth and pristine fruit.
And it’s not because they “feel” like aging the wines without oak. The Tramier family has done this for decades—they truly believe this is the purest way, and it’s hard to argue otherwise once tasting this wine. Their lack of oak drew so much attention that Jancis Robinson took a visit and sat down with “
The Médoc Outsider,” Adrien Tramier. Still, Château Sainte Marguerite—run by Adrien’s son, Lionel—maintains a low-key profile, tucked away in the village of Bégadan, a 10-minute drive north of Saint-Estèphe. The property encompasses nine hectares of clay-heavy gravels, planted with Merlot, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. With proximity to the chilly Atlantic and its coastal winds that tunnel through pockets of the Landes forest, the terroir of Marguerite is prime for earlier-ripening Merlot. Cooler than inland Pomerol and St-Émilion, it is almost impossible to achieve monstrous alcohol levels this far north. Balance and restraint do exist, and they’re on display here.
With 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, the 2010 Château Sainte Marguerite colors the glass with deep ruby, leading to a vivid band of brick-orange on the rim. Because it was fermented with natural yeasts and bottled with minimal sulfur, I recommend giving the wine a good 30 minutes of air after pulling the cork or decanting for 15 minutes. Other than that, the wine is firing right out of the gate. All you need to do is pull out your best Bordeaux stems and give the wine a soft swirl to unleash the explosive charm of the Médoc. On the nose, the wine releases a cascade of ripe, fleshy plum, red cherry, smoky cigar box, dusty gravels, wild black raspberries, currants, and supple spice. The palate, though, is the main attraction. There isn’t one edge to this wine—it glides across the palate with precision and class, revealing layers of plush, black-red fruit and the brilliant sparks of fine-grained tannins, savory herbs, and atomized earth. In short, it feels like blue-chip Burgundy and tastes like Bordeaux. And yes, even without barrel aging, it’s going to go the distance: Although in peak form now, it’ll remain there for the next 5-10 years. What a dynamic experience! Enjoy.
