2010 Domaine de Baronarques Limoux 750 ml

One Foot in Bordeaux

Nothing grabs collectors by the collar like the names Mouton Rothschild and Opus One, both from the legendary Rothschild family. And at a recent tasting that included their priceless First Growth Mouton Rothschild, the family’s 2010 Domaine de Baronarques Rouge stood shoulder-to-shoulder with wines that command triple- and quadruple-digit prices. Bearing the unmistakable DNA of one of the most revered families in wine, Baronarques is a cellared Right Bank-style stunner that positively exudes its perfect Rothschild genes.

Today, Wine Access bargain-hunters have a rare shot at this red, straight from the family’s cellar—at a fraction of the regular price. From the Rothschilds’ stellar Languedoc winery Domaine de Baronarques, this plush, Merlot-based blend was created with the help of top hands from Mouton Rothschild and Opus One.

Grown in the sun-soaked south of France and crafted by the family behind Bordeaux icon Château Mouton Rothschild, the 2010 Baronarques shows a juicy and approachable core of fruit, expressive aromas of ripe blackberry, plums, fresh herbs, dried flowers, and leather, along with impressive length and structures. As Jeb Dunnuck of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate put it, Baronarques is “a beautiful red that seems to have one foot in Bordeaux and one foot in the south.” 

For fans of Bordeaux, the Rhône, and any classic Old World reds, this is a perfectly aged gem with impeccable pedigree that you’ll want in the cellar.

The Rothschild family doesn’t just make wine. They create icons. So after they set their sights on Domaine de Baronarques in Limoux, they assembled an A-team from Mouton and Opus One, and dedicated five years to bringing the estate up to the family’s level of excellence. 

At Baronarques, the soil consists of clay and limestone, with deposits of gravel and sand—perfect for producing a Right Bank-style wine. And compared to the rest of the roasting Languedoc, Baronarques is high and cool, which makes it an excellent environment for slow and graceful ripening. So the family planted the estate to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, and implemented world-class viticultural practices. They also installed a new state-of-the-art cellar, and in 2003, Baronarques made the first wine of this new era. From the beginning, the wine was stellar. 

Now, Baronarques consistently produces an overachiever which, if it wore a label that said “Grand Cru Classé,” would command twice the price. Now, with a decade of age and even longer to go in the cellar, this is a rare steal from one of the world’s first families of wine, and it belongs right alongside their marquee bottlings. Don’t miss it.