2014 Chateau des Fougeres Clos Montesquieu Graves Bordeaux 750 ml

Stéphane Derenoncourt “World’s Hottest Winemaker”

Every once in a while, we offer Wine Access clients a shot at high-priced Napa-grown Bordeaux blends for about $30. But those rare steals aside, how much bona fide Bordeaux value can $30 get you? The 2014 Château des Fougères Clos Montesquieu Graves is your emphatic answer. Produced by Bordeaux legend, Stéphane Derenoncourt, dubbed “the world’s hottest winemaker” by Wine Spectator and who has produced a Parker 100-pointer, the grapes hail from the world-renowned gravel soils of Graves in southern Bordeaux. This Cabernet-dominated beauty boasts compelling richness, beautiful complexity, and serious age-worthiness. Antonio Galloni of Vinous called it a “super-impressive” “jewel of a wine,” anointing it with a 94-point score — the same score he gave $500 First-Growth Château Margaux. For those who are always looking to stock their cellars with over-delivering claret, or those looking to break into Bordeaux without breaking the bank, this wine is for you.

If the name Montesquieu rings a distant bell, it’s because you heard it back in high school civics class. The 18th-century French political philosopher’s concept of “separation of powers” was instrumental in shaping the United States Constitution. Montesquieu’s lesser-known but equally far-sighted undertaking was his development of the vineyard and estate at what is now Château des Fougères, in the tiny commune of La Brède.

The estate’s history is convoluted: It was sold in 1756 to a Bordeaux wine merchant, only to be reacquired by Montesquieu’s descendents in 1867. Fougères soldiered on for a century and a half, producing vintages of variable size and quality, until it was purchased in 2010 by Dominique Coutière. Coutière is a son of France’s Sud-Ouest as well as the founder of French essential oils giant Biolandes. As one would expect of a native owner of such resources, Coutière has not held back in his quest to bring glory to Château des Fougères.

Most notably, Coutière has retained the consulting services of Bordeaux legend Stéphane Derenoncourt. Named “the world’s hottest winemaker” by Wine Spectator, Derenoncourt is best known for his work at Château Prieuré-Lichine, and for producing the Robert Parker 100-point 2009 Clos Fourtet.

Considering the trajectory of Château des Fougères, the impact of Derenoncourt’s work could not be more profound: Just four vintages after Dominique Coutière purchased Château des Fougères, the estate outdid itself with a 94-point score from Vinous. Complex and structured with tons of black fruit, the 2014 Château des Fougères Clos Montesquieu is fantastic now, and will only get better over the next decade plus. We can’t imagine a cellar that wouldn’t benefit from this beautiful Bordeaux. Don’t miss out.

- Wine Access Wine Team