2010 Chateau Clos de Sarpe Saint-Emilion 750 ml

We first visited Saint-Émilion years ago, checking into l’Hôtel Palais Cardinal, which is magnificently perched atop this medieval village. Sun poured into our neatly appointed rooms each summer morning. Owned and operated by the Beyney family since 1926, the hotel serves an unforgettable petit déjeuner—freshly baked croissants, brioche, and chaussons aux pommes, washed down with cups of piping-hot black coffee.

It wasn’t until our fourth visit that we learned of the Beyney family’s other property in Saint-Émilion. Just 800 meters from the hotel, to the east of the town center and perched above legendary Château Pavie, the Beyneys farm a single nine-acre parcel planted to 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The name of the estate is Château Clos de Sarpe.

The soils of Clos de Sarpe mimic those of Ausone, Pavie, Pavie-Decesse, and Clos Fourtet—a classic mix of clay and limestone. Particularly in recent vintages, we’ve come to think of Clos de Sarpe as the Romanée-Conti of Saint-Émilion. Not quite twice the size of tiny Romanée-Conti, the vines here are 55 to 80 years of age, and farmed to the strictest biodynamic protocols. Yields are minuscule: In 2010, what many are calling the finest Bordeaux vintage since 1961, just two tons per acre. The entire production is barrel-fermented in 100% new French oak for 18 months, making for one of the richest and most sumptuous wines of the Right Bank.

Robert Parker posted a number of ecstatic reviews in his 2010 vintage report. Clos de Sarpe took a back seat to none. The Wine Advocate tasting note is one for the ages. Parker wrote:

“This is a quintessential blockbuster, no-compromise, massive, pedal-to-the-metal, balls-to-the-walls sort of wine with incredibly dense creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice, truffle and some background oak…Forget it for 10-15 years and drink it over the following century. (Oh, that's right - most of us won't be alive to challenge that estimate!)”

Rarely found stateside, the entire production of the 2010 Clos de Sarpe was just 1,000 cases—the last 240 bottles of which have been earmarked for Wine Access, all drawn directly from the cellar where they were bottled. 96+ points from Parker, and an even more recent 98 from his publication. The 2010 Clos de Sarpe is a rarity, a collectible—and above all, an absolute treat.