2016 Chateau Croix de Labrie Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 750 ml

As soon as we started walking around the Château Croix de Labrie property with proprietors Axelle and Pierre Courdurié this past spring, it became immediately clear why none other than Robert Parker himself has said that they produce “one of the most decadently hedonistic and luxuriously fruity wines of Bordeaux. It also possesses undeniable complexity, texture, and class.”

Today, we’re sharing the wine that inspired those comments, the 2016 Château Croix de Labrie at the best price—the only price—in the USA. This 96-point, ruby-hued jewel is a beacon of its prime Saint-Émilion terroir (which immediately abuts Château Pavie), and is poised for a gorgeous evolution in the cellar, yet will make an impressive centerpiece right now. James Suckling praised this classic Bordeaux as “So enticing,” while Jeb Dunnuck added this Croix de Labrie is “going to benefit from short-term cellaring and see its 20th birthday in fine form.”

Strolling the tiny vineyard, Château Croix de Labrie’s outsized praise made perfect sense: The land was incredible! With an ideal exposure right on the Saint-Émilion plateau, just east of Troplong Mondot and Pavie, the land under our feet shifted from chalk-laced clay in one block to iron in another. We started geeking out on it when Pierre cut us off and summed it up perfectly: “Yes,” he said, “we have f*****g good terroir.”

And that terroir shines through in every last sniff and sip. This tiny five-acre site next to Pavie is a hillock of sand and clay with traces of iron oxide and a clayey limestone subsoil, which is free-draining and provides real depth and density. Mature 45-year-old vines and high-density planting provide small berries, contributing to this wine’s impressive structure. 

Guided from grape to glass by world-renowned winemaker Michel Rolland, Croix de Labrie combines its quality-first mentality with absolute expertise in the cellar—though barrels are stacked in the Courduriés’ living room on occasion. The wine is fermented plot by plot in small barrels, a technique favored by Rolland for better oak integration, softer tannins, and rounder, richer flavors. The wine is then matured for 18 months in 100% new French barriques.  

It makes sense, then, that this is a Grand Cru whose reputation is growing faster than perhaps any other in the entire Right Bank. James Suckling called it “a rich yet touching wine” in his 96-point rave review. Jeb Dunnuck crowned it “the top wine” in his review, praising it for “richness and depth, with awesome notes of crème de cassis, spicy oak, licorice, and some chocolate all emerging from the glass.”

As soon as we tasted it back in the château, we made an offer for as much as they could spare. We don’t expect it to last here for very long, though: Grand Crus this mesmerizing never stick around once word gets out that we have the online exclusive.