Bordeaux is a small part of our portfolio, in part because of the way its market works, and in part because the scale of its enterprises is less well-suited to a père et fils importer. But we’re always on the hunt for a Burgundy-scale producer from the southwestern coast. Last year we found a family domaine in Saint-Estèphe whose wines had never been exported to the US. Fleuron de Liot is a blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, from a tiny 1.5 acre plot in Saint-Estèphe.
The 2014 was our first vintage. It is inky and dark, with plum and dark cherries in the nose. The mouth is dense and full, with solid ripe tannins and low oak, notes of cedar and licorice, and a long, velvety texture. When we tasted the 2015 earlier this year, we were more impressed if anything; and so we expect the wine’s place in our portfolio to continue.
Bordeaux from St. Estèphe is wine that usually needs to develop for 5 years or so to enter its optimal drinking window. But given time to breathe, Fleuron de Liot is eminently drinkable today. Open a bottle around lunch, and by dinnertime the wine reveals itself.
