2015 Château Moulin de la Bridane St.-Julien 750 ml

In a normal year, we might make four trips to Bordeaux in hopes of finding just one wine just like this one. A pristine under-the-radar gem, the 2015 Château Moulin de la Bridane sits among Saint-Julien’s many classified growths, and delivers Médoc elegance at a fantastic price.

Situated on steep gravel slopes, the vineyards border on the best of Bordeaux: They’re sandwiched in between 100-point Second Growths Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Las Cases. Calling it “a bargain” that’s “rich, perfumed and beautifully structured,” Wine Enthusiast awarded 93 points to this deep ruby 2015.

Defined by ripe tannins and a luscious palate of black cherry and currant fruit, this bears all the hallmarks of a classically balanced Left Bank blend, long and deliciously deep.

In spite of all that, many—even our Bordeaux-savvy clientele—will likely not have heard of this cuvée before. There is no website, and minimal presence in the U.S. We took advantage of that knowledge gap to snap up every available case of this awesome value buy. Trust us, you will feel happier with a healthy supply of this top Médoc red in your cellar.

We have a good friend who runs a small wine shop in the Bay Area, and whose tastes often overlap with our own. When we poured this wine for him, accompanied by duck confit and a chèvre salad, he was flabbergasted—for two reasons, he said.

First, he couldn’t believe the quality-to-price ratio for an appellation covered by manicured vineyards, many of which belong to classified growths that usually run $100 per bottle and up. Second, he couldn’t believe we had found it before he did! “I’ve been traveling through Saint-Julien for thirty years,” he said. “How did I not find this before?”

It’s easy to get waylaid in Bordeaux’s dense thicket of wines, but rest assured that we won’t be losing track of this one anytime soon. Moulin de la Bridane is actually the second wine of the Château la Bridane estate, which has been in the same family for over 300 years. Current owner Bruno Saintout, whose ancestors acquired the former parish land following the French Revolution, farms the 37 acres according to sustainable lutte raisonée principles.

The vineyards are distinguished by Saint-Julien’s signature deep, porous, Garonnaise gravel soils, coveted for their ability to produce Clarets of finesse and elegance. For an appellation planted mostly to Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine derives its soft juiciness from a high proportion of Merlot (about 45%). The other half is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Finished in oak barriques (20% new) for 18 months, this bottle picks up a seductive spice that will deepen with age. Celebrate this Left Bank discovery with us while we still have it at a world-beating bargain.