Sumptuous Saint Emilion!

There can be few more attractive towns in the Bordeaux region than Saint Emilion.  We stayed in the pretty market town when we visited the area in the Spring.  The whole area buzzes with wine and wine paraphernalia.  There are some comfortable small hotels, good restaurants and an abundance of small wine shops, all selling St Emilion wines – unfortunately at rather over-inflated prices!  However, just off the beaten track, there are a few satellite villages, that produce wine every bit as good as their more illustrious neighbours. 

Château Fongaban

One such village is Puisseguin-Saint- Emilion. It is here that Pierre Taïx has just 8 hectares in this commune, and another 35 hectares in the adjacent commune of Côtes du Castillon. Many of the top produces in Saint Emilion have started to buy land here.  The terroir is identical to that of the adjacent Saint Emilion vineyards, but the land is much less expensive, and the wines correspondingly better value. 

These are all Merlot-based wines, in contrast to the Cabernet sauvignon-based wines of other Bordeaux areas, and as a result they are more immediately approachable with their gorgeous soft, plummy fruit flavours.  In the past we have bought his outstanding Côtes du Castillon 2000, and his lovely Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion 2002. Those of you who bought these will now that they continue to improve with bottle age and are drinking well now.  This Spring I called in again and was bowled over by the quality of his Côtes du Castillon 2005, but the biggest surprise was his Pierdon 2005.  This is a flagship wine, only made in outstanding vintages from 100% Merlot vines with an average age of 55 years.  We had to buy them both!

A Mixed Case consists of 6 bottles of each of -

Château Fongaban 2005                                                                                                                          £6.95 AC Côtes du Castillon                                                                                                                                          The 2005 vintage was truly outstanding in this area.  Made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, about 10% of the wine has some oak-ageing.  It has a very deep young colour. The nose is perfumed and inviting, and on the palate there is lots of ripe, soft, concentrated plummy fruit with a lovely silky mouthfeel. There are soft, ripe tannins at the finish and a long aftertaste. Delicious now and will develop further over the next five years. 

Pierdon 2005                                                                                                                                              £10.50 AC Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion                                                                                                                             Pierre's flagship wine is made from 100% Merlot from very old vines with low yields of 35hl/ha. It is then aged but in 100% new Tronçais oak barrels.  This is very deep and young in colour. It has an expensive, perfumed cassis with hints of cedar, while in the mouth it is very concentrated and dense, with loads of delicious cassis flavours and great complexity. Once again there are soft ripe tannins, and great length. Gorgeous now, but this would repay keeping for another 10years.  This is Pierre's answer to Pomerol's Château Petrus - but at a great price. Fabulous wine, fantastic value!

 

Mixed Case Price : £104.70

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