The editorial staff of Sud Ouest offers you its discoveries and favorites throughout the summer. To be consumed in moderation, of course
Château Arbo 2018, AOC Montagne Saint-Émilion
It is not the easiest wine to find. And for good reason, in 2018, Arbo Castle produced only 5,500 bottles (and 254 magnums). But this pretty satellite of Saint-Émilion nevertheless deserves all the attention of the amateur. The successful blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc offers a dense but rather fresh juice, on black fruits and cocoa. So, of course, the wood has yet to finish blending in, but there is already something to indulge yourself during a romantic evening.
The very young history of Château Arbo itself obeys the canons of romanticism. Two viticulture-oenology students fall in love and decide to devote their lives to wine. In 2015, Astrid and Dorian Arbo bought the twelve plots of 6.5 hectares of the estate to which they gave their name. The vines are 35 years old on average, they are just waiting to express their full potential. While the High Environmental Value (HVE) certification is in sight, this 2018 vintage confirms real know-how, which can be tasted on site, by renting the ideally furnished apartment above the cellar. Romantic we tell you!
Mountain (33). Price: € 14.50. E-mail: astrid@château-arbo.com
L’Oie du Périgord, rosé 2020, IGP Périgord
Here is a goose that could make Cocorico! Here, we do not pretend, the blue-white-red is proudly displayed, welcome to the heart of the France of the soils, and more particularly that, magnificent, of the Dordogne.
Also available in red and dry and soft white, this Rosé Périgord Goose inaugurated in 2020 is the work of cooperative winegrowers from the Sigoulès, Monbazillac and Alliance Aquitaine cellars. Brought together in a group called Couleurs d’Aquitaine, these three cooperatives bring together some 300 families and nearly 3,500 hectares of vineyard in the Bergerac region.
The least we can say is that the fruit is not lacking in this rosé with a beautiful salmon hue. As you might expect in a department that cultivates strawberries, we are not disappointed by its sweet flavors and its greedy side, for lack of finesse. Ideal as an aperitif, this wine, which is more mellow than dry and which one will gladly accompany with ice cubes, is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon and is similar in that to Anjou rosés.
Colors of Aquitaine, in Saint-Laurent-des-Vignes (24).
Château L’Insoumise, Prestige 2018, AOC Bordeaux Supérieur
A gold medal at the Concours de Bordeaux is a snap on a bottle. But the consumer intends to get their money’s worth then. At less than ten euros, he will not be disappointed by this Prestige cuvée from Chateau L’Insoumise, which has everything of a great in the decidedly astonishing vintage 2018.
Nice blend of Merlot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Cabernet Franc (10%), this is a powerful and ample wine, with roasted aromas and flavors of black fruits. Such a thoroughbred requires a long aeration. The juice is then more docile, pleasantly caressing the palate.
This success is due to a couple of young oenologists well in their time, Cécile and Thierry de Taffin. Formerly named Beychevelle, giving rise to a confusing homonymy with the Saint-Julien of the same name, the 25-hectare property located on the slopes of the Dordogne, has been cleverly renamed L’Insoumise. This plays on the niche of everyday classy wine. Drink now or forget ten years in the cellar, Prestige is just one of the château’s seven productions. We recommend in particular the entry-level white bordeaux, called Chai 45, in organic conversion.
Saint-André-de-Cubzac (33). Phone. 05 57 43 17 82
Domaine du Petit Bourdieu 2016, AOC Pessac-Léognan
It is not the first name that comes to mind, far from it, when one evokes the prestigious appellation of Pessac-Léognan. And for good reason, here we do not do in large volumes intended for export or mass distribution. With its two small hectares, the Domaine du Petit Bourdieu cultivates its artisanal, independent and above all very endearing side.
Blindly, it is difficult to establish a blatant hierarchy with its prestigious neighbors, especially in this 2016 vintage which will be praised for a long time. On the black fruits, with a slightly minty finish and the characteristic smoky aspect of good Pessac-Léognan, Petit Bourdieu presents an ample mouth, which does not give way to the flight of the alcoholic title more and more pronounced in Bordeaux (13 % here). In short, far from the prices of the classified growths which surround it, here is a wine which will know how to do the job today as in ten years.
Marc and Manuela Pointet run this family property which can be visited by appointment. A good plan to complete your cellar without breaking the bank, by getting out of the labels that everyone knows.
Léognan (33). Phone. 05 56 64 75 68.
Château Duplessy Nature 2020, AOC Côtes de Bordeaux
While the grands crus of Bordeaux presented their 2020 vintage during the early spring wines, it is already possible to taste a few bottles from this year announced everywhere as grandiose. This is particularly the case with natural wines, that is to say made without the slightest oenological input.
The Nature cuvée of Duplessis Castle is a model of its kind. Certified organic for seven years, follower of biodynamics, the property produces this 100% Merlot with extreme care: 100% manual harvest, passage through a sorting table, total destemming, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, aging for 7 months in oak barrels. French…
The wine, with a beautiful aubergine color, needs an hour of aeration after opening. Its particularly sweet attack then reveals a mouth full of freshness, supple but not devoid of substance. So of course, we will not keep this bottle for ages in the cellar. It is also advisable to taste it in the year following the harvest. But to have fun in a good conscience and without great risk of headaches, since no sulfite is added, here is certainly a name to remember.
Cenac (33). Phone. 05 56 20 73 28. Price: € 16.20
To All Berzingue 2020, IGP Atlantique
Attention UFO! We tell you the color: red. For the rest, it’s unheard of. 36% marselan, 33% cabernet sauvignon, 18% arinarnoa, 13% cabernet franc, such is the blend of this latest production from Vignerons de Berticot. From Côtes de Duras to Lalande de Pomerol, these people know everything about terroirs, innovations and packaging. But they might never have produced such a crappy wine before.
Deciding to think outside the box, the Duraquoise cellar has invested in the planting of 4 hectares of vines. The goal? Experimental. The underlying idea: to have fun. “You have to be a little crazy to offer grape varieties so little known in the region”, announces the back label. The worst part is that the assembly works!
On very ripe black fruits, the palate is greedy and powerful, but without giving in to freshness. A true wine for friends, impossible to detect blindly. Anticipating global warming, testing grape varieties resistant to disease, the test is convincing. The wines of the South-West are not about to say their last word.
The winemakers of Berticot, Duras (47) 05 53 83 75 47. Price: 5.40 euros
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