2015 Château Marsau Francs Côtes de Bordeaux 750 ml

With dual 93pt scores, a 100-point winemaker, and lavish praise across the board Château Marsau is upending Bordeaux’s status quo. As Robert Parker himself said: “Is it the Petrus of the Cotes de Francs?” 

We believe it is. Full-bodied and broad on the palate, the 2015 has the fantastic structure and supple tannic grip of $50+ Bordeaux, which support beguiling flavors of blackberry, pomegranate, leather, and earth. An emerging icon from the Francs Côtes des Bordeaux subregion, Château Marsau sits on seriously undervalued soil, which is why it can be had for a song.

But this terroir and estate—the 93-point discovery of our last trip to Bordeaux and the château Robert Parker calls “a revelation for this particular appellation,”—is unlikely to remain a secret bargain for long. Its iron-rich clay soils are eerily similar to those in the Right Bank’s most prestigious appellations, including Pomerol and St. Émilion. At Château Marsau, the powerhouse Chadronnier family grows perfect Merlot vines and gives them the royal treatment under the guidance of 100-point Bordelaise winemaking savant Michel Rolland.

The result is an elegant red with the finesse (and accompanying praise) that we normally equate with $50+ wines from classed growth châteaux. In addition to comparing this petite château to Petrus, Parker confidently asserted, “Marsau is producing the sexiest, most sumptuous wine in the Cotes de Francs. It is a testament to the perfectionism of its proprietor, Jean-Marie Chadronnier.” James Suckling likewise praised the 2015 for its tannins that “pull you in with their power,” in his 93-point review, describing the wine as “soft, full-bodied, and round.” Decanter wrote that it “showcases the potential of a 100% Merlot wine.” 

Château Marsau, with its plush, plummy elegance and cellar-worthy structure, proves beyond a doubt that some of the best Bordeaux wines on the market today are coming from upstart appellations ready to rival the region’s centuries-old status quo. We recommend stocking up before they start charging their rivals’ prices too.