Riverains. “How do you find your winemakers?” is probably the most common question we’re asked. The best answer is that we trust the locals whenever we can. Sometimes this means recommendations from vignerons we already work with; sometimes it is customers with vineyard connections. But our favorite source is often the local wine list.
We discovered Chateau Lafont Menaut at a bistro on a bustling corner in the city of Bordeaux a few years ago. It was one of five house suggestions, and just the delicious, well-priced Pessac-Leognan we had been looking for. A straightforward, clean blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon and merlot, Lafont Menaut is as delicious as it is affordable.
Plum jam and earth. Lafont Menaut is the project of Philibert Perrin, whose family also owns neighboring Chateau Carbonnieux (one of three visited by Thomas Jefferson in 1786). He employs the same care and expertise at both properties. The Cabernet adds dark, briary notes of blackberry and currant, with the Merlot adding notes of plum jam.
Lafont Menaut is a classic, dark-palated Bordeaux, showing plum jam and currants alongside notes of cedar smoke and earth; it benefits greatly from 20 minutes or so in a glass or decanter. We don’t quite remember what we ate with this in a Bordeaux bistro a decade ago, but recent experiments confirm there’s no better match than a well browned steak.
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LAFONT-MENAUT Pessac-Leognan 2013
Ansonia Retail: $25
case, half-case: $19.95/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657
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