Placeholder Image

Château Berlière, Montagne-St-Émilion

Bordeaux, France 2005 (750mL)
$22.00
/
Your cart is empty.
  • In stock, ready to ship
  • Inventory on the way
Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Château Berlière, Montagne-St-Émilion

Our second wave of direct imports from Bordeaux is nearing its end, and we’ve enjoyed rolling out these hidden values so much that I’m shipping off to France this April to find more. But it will be extremely tough to outshine today’s 2005 from one of Saint-Émilion’s greatest satellite appellations: Montagne.
Château Berlière is adjacent to one of the world’s finest terroirs, and with its remarkably low price in a superb vintage, this is an unbelievable deal. Many wine pundits, including Jancis Robinson, have gone on record stating that 2005 was—and continues to be—the vintage of the century, which correlates to prices that will heavily impact your wallet. Not so if you're the Guillons of Château Berlière, who have passed down their small vineyard holdings in Montagne-St-Émilion for four generations. The wines aren’t mass-produced; the estate remains family-owned; and their wine is classically styled Saint-Émilion—so how is it priced so generously? Quite simple: exposure. We knew we were going to import this wine the moment it touched our lips and it made the deal so much sweeter upon realizing that it was virtually “off the grid.” You’re getting a taste of the finest vintage in decades for a truly rock-bottom price. Stock up while it still exists because you won’t find it anywhere else. Enjoy!
At the ripe age of 14, Joseph Guillon arrived at the Berlière estate in 1907 and worked as a farmhand. He quickly integrated himself into the day-to-day activities and established a close rapport with the owners. At the start of the 1930s, his hard work paid off: Joseph inherited seven acres. He worked the vines for 30 additional years before passing them down to his son, René. After René’s death in 1980, his wife and son, Michel, took over the family business and are still involved to this day. Since 2004, Michel has been assisted by his son, Matthieu, who studied at the school of viticulture in Saint-Émilion. Fun fact: Matthieu interned at the only winery on the island of Tahiti. 

There are four satellite appellations of Saint-Émilion: Montagne, Puisseguin, Lussac, and Saint-Georges—and this is where you find the best-value wines! Montagne abuts Saint-Émilion to the north and received its appellation status in 1936; prior to this, wines from here were sold under a Saint-Émilion label. Just like Saint-Émilion proper, all of these satellite appellations have a rich history that can be traced back to the Roman Empire. Today, these four appellations are experiencing a renaissance: As wine prices in Saint-Émilion continue rising, these lesser-known satellites remain affordable. The Guillons’ 12 acres in Montagne-St-Émilion are largely planted to Merlot, followed by Cabernet Franc and small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. Vines here average 30+ years of age. After the ripe harvest of 2005, the grapes fermented in stainless steel and aged in a combination of new and used French oak.

The 2005 Château Berlière displays an opaque dark garnet core with only slight oranging at the rim. While the wine is showing its 12+ years of age in the glass, the nose is vividly fresh and full of brilliant fruits like black cherry, black and red plum, currant liqueur, licorice, and black raspberry. Secondary notes also emerge with tobacco leaf, wet clay, leather, and a subtle array of baking spices. On the palate, the wine is medium-plus bodied and impressively vibrant. The ripe fruit of 2005 is highlighted first, with lingering minerality and earth perfectly integrated into a lifted finish. This is in its prime drinking window and is performing perfectly right now (though it should continue to deliver over the next five years). I recommend pulling the cork and decanting right before service for sediment (alternately, stand the bottle upright in your cellar for a few hours before serving, and pour slowly from the bottle when serving). It’s vigorous directly out of the bottle and drinks at its best over the first hour. For pairing, try hunting down (literally, if you’re equipped) a few quail and try the attached braise. It’s a quintessential combination!
Placeholder Image
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Sub-Region
FranceMontagne-St-Émilion
Soil
Limestone & Clay
Farming
Conventional
Blend
Merlot 70%, Cabernet Franc 20%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
New and Used French
TEMP.
65
Glassware
Bordeaux Stem
Drinking
Now-2023
Decanting
None
Pairing
Braised Quail

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.

Others We Love