Chateau la Prade Cotes de Bordeaux 2018

Nicolas Thienpont may have come from some money, but the reputation he has built in his nearly forty years of winemaking, vineyard management and talent scouting has nothing to do with that. Sure, when Thienpont was getting started, it helped to have his parents purchase Chateau Puygueraud and put him in charge of winemaking duties.

But just because Nicolas had a leg (or two) up doesn’t explain his love and passion for wine, or explain why Chateau Pavie Macquin asked him a few years later to be their winemaker after seeing his success at Puygueraud and Château Laclaverie, the winery he started after he bought a few acres from his father’s vineyards at Puygueraud to start his own thing. It also doesn’t explain how in 1984, he recognized a talented young vineyard worker named Stéphane Derenoncourt and offered him a job underneath him at Pavie Macquin. Turns out, that guy can make wine.

Thienpoint would go on to make wine at Beausejour Duffau Lagarosse, Larcis Ducasse and Puygueraud for many years, but the one place that is the most special to him is his very own, “Chateau La Prade” which he bought in 2000, recognizing the unbelievable value in the Cotes de Bordeaux region before anyone else, and cashing in on an incredible property, with a limestone plateau ladened into the hillsides.

Armed with enough experience to last a lifetime, the perfect hand-selected property (that has since then gone up more than 30 times in value!), and winemaking abilities second to none, Nicolas consistently churns out succulent, juicy reds that critics and consumers alike adore.

In what is turning out to be a fantastic 2018 vintage in Bordeaux, it’s no surprise that Thienpont’s Chateau La Prade was awarded triple 93 point scores from Decanter, Parker’s Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.