Yesterday we finally met the Negrier family, winemakers at Fleuron de Liot. They’re a Burgundy-sized estate in St-Estèphe on Bordeaux’s left bank. Henri Negrier created the domaine from scratch with his wife two decades ago – a remarkable feat in a land of giant chateaux passed down through families for centuries.
From their humble small-scale winery outside Saint-Estèphe the Negriers quietly craft exceptional wines, far outperforming their classification status. Indeed in a week where we’ve tasted dozens of Left Bank Bordeaux from impressive zip codes, the Negriers’ wines stand out for their clarity and character – not to mention their price.
Their Fleuron de Liot from Saint-Estèphe is 50/50 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, a humble, traditional, simply delicious Left-Bank Bordeaux. We tasted the 2020 yesterday , and confirm it’s a showstopper – dense, inky and concentrated, pulsating with vibrant fruit and beautiful tension – notes of plums, tobacco, pencil shavings, and gravel in the nose, with a sturdy and perfectly balanced mouth.
We’ve already got some 2020 back in Newton – give this 30-60 minutes in a carafe before dinner, and you’ll be blown away.
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Fleuron de Liot Saint-Estèphe 2020
bottle price: $32