If you read our emails regularly, you’re already aware of my infatuation with cult Pauillac micro-estate Château Chantecler. Chantecler offers painstaking hand-craftsmanship, unbeatable next-door-to-Mouton/Lafite real estate, a price far below that of its peers...and, most importantly, an undeniably regal and world-class character that overflows from every glass.
This is certified Blue Chip Bordeaux. For serious collectors and “buy low/sell high” investors, there are few wines I can suggest more confidently. For me, there’s nothing more to demand from a top-tier Left Bank red—or so I thought! Truth be told, we’ve never been able to offer Chantecler in a spectacular vintage. Sure, this tiny, one-hectare property always delivers exceptional quality but 2015 is the big leagues. This year joins 2005, 1990, and 1982 as one of the finest and most concentrated Bordeaux vintages in my lifetime. We’re sweetening the deal a little further for one day only by offering the lowest price in the US for this stunning, and nearly impossible to acquire, wine. So, no matter if it’s for your cellar or your glass, this is a bottle you must not miss!
[*PLEASE NOTE: Chantecler’s 2015 Pauillac is only available on pre-arrival and will ship from California the week of Monday, 6/11. Limit 12 bottles per customer.]
Pauillac is arguably the single most elite zip code in all of Bordeaux. This village’s top wines regularly command upwards of $600 per bottle upon release, and for many collectors and sommeliers, they represent the global benchmark for Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wines. Now, what if I told you that, in the entire area of Pauillac, cornered by iconic First Growths Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Lafite Rothschild, and “super second” Château Pontet-Canet, there is only one parcel—literally one hectare of vines—that still remains in the hands of an independent grower-winemaker? It’s true: Dead center in some of Pauillac’s most valuable real estate sits one lone hectare producing a few hundred cases of truly extraordinary, handmade Pauillac each year.
You may have seen this property receiving top honors in recent Decanter magazine
piece, “The Last Little Guys of Pauillac,” but Chantecler’s is a fascinating story that is worth exploring further. Yannick Mirande grew up in wine and his family has owned and worked vineyards in Pauillac for many generations. Over the years, the Mirande family assembled a respectable 12-hectare collection of vineyards and were able to earn a living selling their harvest to prestigious neighbors like Mouton and Lafite. In the aftermath of the 2000 “vintage of the century” hysteria, demand for Pauillac fruit skyrocketed and real estate values quickly followed suit. Yannick’s aunt was unable to resist the temptation of selling almost all the Mirandes’ vines to Mouton Rothschild in 2004. Fortunately, Yannick salvaged the family’s crown jewel, a one-hectare hillside parcel of a Pauillac
lieu dit, “Plateau de Padarnac,” for himself. Over the next six years, he continued farming and improving his small vineyard, selling fruit to various
cru classé neighbors, and apprenticing while honing his skills in the cellar.
Having made great strides as a winemaker and vigneron, Yannick finally released his first vintage of Château Chantecler in 2010. He bottles only 275 cases of this one cuvée, composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. To put that in context, consider that neighboring Mouton ($600/btl), Lafite ($600/btl) and Pontet-Canet ($135/btl) own 676 acres of vines in Pauillac and produce a combined 80,000-85,000 cases of wine each vintage. Mirande farms his small plot of vines using a hybrid of organic and biodynamic practices. The soil in this hillside site is classic Pauillac gravel, with vines averaging 45 years of age.
In 2015, Yannick Mirande has delivered a masterstroke. For me, there are few contemporary expressions of the historic Pauillac terroir that perform at this level—and it’s worth mentioning that all the others are (a) far more expensive, and (b) nowhere near as limited. This bottle has it all: impossibly elegant structure, serious power and mineral depth, luxurious tannins, classic Cuban cigar/wet stone/graphite aromatics, and of course, an endlessly deep reservoir of blackberry, plum and currant fruit. It’s an extraordinary wine from what I’m sure will become one of the most memorable Bordeaux vintages of my life. So, if you plan to enjoy this bottle in the near term, show it appropriate deference by decanting for 90 minutes and serving in large Bordeaux stems. If you plan to share with friends (I must admit, I kept my most recent bottle all to myself!), please consider opening two bottles as, in my experience, bottles of Chantecler tend to get emptied faster than they evolve in the glass. For culinary accompaniment, I believe the wisest choice is a grilled dry-aged New York strip—and if you really want fireworks, hunt down some Wagyu! Cheers!
