2016 Chateau Bourdieu No 1 Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux 750 ml

The 92-point 2016 Château Bourdieu No. 1 is the wine you want stacked high in your cellar when the air turns a little chilly, and well into springtime steak season. It’s lush and generous, with a red- and black-fruited nose accented with violets, lilacs, tobacco, and pencil shavings. The mouthfeel is bold, with plenty of black cherry touched by spice and eucalyptus. The balanced acidity and smoothed-out tannins resolve in a long, soft finish. 

Château Bourdieu dates back to the 15th century, but its modern history goes back to proprietor Luc Schweitzer’s youth: On his way to boarding school, he’d pass by and gaze at the gorgeous estate in Bordeaux’s sub-region of Blaye, becoming increasingly determined to own the gorgeous château. Finally, in 1993, this son of Algerian grapegrowers realized his goal by purchasing the estate.

Luc’s efforts—including building a new cellar and fine-tuning the winemaking with stainless steel tanks and temperature control—have not gone unnoticed: Just last year, Forbes singled Bourdieu out for making outstanding value wines that capture power “while still respecting the seduction of subtlety.”

Grown on 35-year-old vines planted in Bourdieu’s gravelly loam soils, the 2016 No. 1 consists of 89% Merlot accented by 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Malbec. It was aged in a combination of stainless steel and barriques and racked and manipulated minimally, resulting in beautiful fruit purity, notes of toasty oak, and an overall experience that will have you looking for excuses to open another bottle.