Chateau Peyrabon Haut-Medoc 2016

Peyrabon is a Cru Bourgeois estate in the northern Haut-Médoc, with a good portion of its vines coming from right next door in Pauillac. The soils are a mix of gravel, sand, clay and limestone, and their flagship ‘Peyrabon’ bottling is an inviting Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It spends about 14 months in French oak, with about 25% new oak. That’s the classic Left Bank recipe, and it’s why this wine has structure, ripe fruit and that saline, mineral edge.

When the dust finally settled on the 2016 vintage in Bordeaux, every major publication had gone gaga. Wine Enthusiast rated the vintage 98 points, with Parker’s Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator both coming in at 97. The famous châteaux from that year carry insanely high prices, but 2016 was so exceptional that if you look off the beaten path, there are tremendous values still hiding in plain sight. That’s where today’s wine comes from, and ten years after its release it’s drinking like an absolute dream.