7/23/25 - 

Mid-summer may not be a time when our thoughts turn to Bordeaux, but a new shipment has just arrived from the Hubert family at Chateau Peybonhomme-les-Tours and Chateau La Grolet, certified organic and Biodynamic since the 1990s. Located in Bourg and Blaye on the right bank of the Gironde (roughly opposite Margaux), and situated on classic gravel and clay/limestone soils, the great farming and winemaking at both domains produces some of the most delicious,  authentic and affordable wines of Bordeaux. The estates practice natural vinifications with minimal SO2, aging is in barrels, terracotta amphorae and stoneware "eggs." Biodynamic farming and agroforestry in the vines...
 
Included in the new arrivals are the 2022 Peybonhomme-les-Tours and La Grolet "Origines" - these are our two greatest Bordeaux values, both of which are outstanding in the excellent 2022 vintage!
 
We've included our favorite Bordeaux for current drinking in today's email, all certified organic or Biodynamic - serve them at cellar temperature this summer with all of your grilled beef, lamb and pork!
 
Planquette
Didier Michaud created "Planquette," one of the most unique domains in Bordeaux on 1.7 hectares in the Medoc with 30 to 100 year-old vines on limestone with thin soils of clay with sand and stones.  The estate has old vines of Merlot Queue Rouge and massale selection Cabernet Sauvignon, farmed organically with just a little compost and shallow plowing. Vinification with wild yeasts, minimal extraction and zero added sulfur. 85% aged in barrels (none new) for 14 months and 15% in amphora. This is one of the most "natural" and deliciously old-fashioned wines of Bordeaux.
 
Chateau Micalet
Chateau Micalet, with a few hectares in the commune of Lamarque was classified "Cru Artisan" by Feret in 1893.  Acquired by the Fedieu family in 1972, the estate was enlarged slightly, never using herbicides, and with a new generation the conversion to organic agriculture was started in 2006. The estate now has 10 hectares on deep beds of gravel, planted at 8,000 pieds/hectare; the normal blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot -  and 7% Petit Verdot, a grape the Fedieus feel is particularly important. The grapes are harvested by hand and undergo a 3 to 4 week fermentation, the wine ages in barrique, 30% new. The 2021 "Origine" is a slightly lighter and more ready-to-drink version of their Haut-Medoc, with a shorter cuvaison and without aging in wood - serve it slightly cool with grilled foods this summer...
 
Chateau La Grave Figeac
Owners Laurent and Caroline Clauzel converted the estate to organic farming over many years achieving certification in 2012 and Biodynamic certification began in 2021. The estate is beautifully situated at the border of Pomerol, it's neighbors being Cheval Blanc and Figeac in Saint-Emilion and La Conseillante in Pomerol. Fermentations are with wild yeasts, sulfur use is minimal (only after the malo) and aging is in barrique, amphora and foudre - "what we search for above all is balance and elegance'" says M. Clauzel.
The estate is comprised of three parcels on varied terroirs. The first, at the chateau, is three hectares entirely surrounded by the vines of Cheval Blanc and La Conseillante on stone/sandy soils with "crasse de fer," the vines averaging 60 years-old. The second, also 3 hectares, abuts the vines of Figeac on sandier soils, including 1.5 ha of younger vines for the "Pavillon" and 1.5 ha of very old vines, both Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The third parcel is .65 ha of Cabernet Franc sandwiched between Gazin and L'Evangile on limestone rocks over clay with crasse de fer.
These are deeply satisfying Saint-Emilions, sharing the qualities of Pomerol on iron-rich soils.
 
Also on offer today: 
2018 Les Hauts de Smith (Smith Haut-Lafitte) Pessac-Léognan
2011 Fonroque, Saint-Emilion
2019 Le Seuil de Mazeyres, Pomerol
2016 Ferrière, Margaux

And, since it's mid-summer, the beautiful 2024 Les Hauts de Smith Rosé from Smith Haut-Lafitte!

-David Lillie

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