2016 Chateau De Cranne 6eme Generation Cotes de Bordeaux 750 ml

Magical things happen underneath the Eiffel Tower: anniversary dates, first kisses, and our landing of this incredible value Bordeaux, a garnet-hued, 91-point finesse player at a massive 50% discount.

While on vacation in Paris, we met up with Vincent Lacoste, owner of the Château De Cranne estate, beneath Gustave Eiffel’s wrought-iron lattice marvel. An hour and a few espressos later, we walked back to our room at the Hotel Le Saint Gregoire with a dozen-case claim to this gorgeous Cabernet-driven blend called “attractive” and “complex” by Wine Enthusiast. 

The palate of rich cassis, worked leather, and cigar box, set off by a cascade of mouthwatering acidity, makes this easy to fall love in with, whether you’re under the spell of twinkling Paris or not. And at half-off the SRP—$19.00 a bottle—it’s damn near irresistible. 

The same family has been operating this estate for six generations, going all the way back to 1833. That’s a big reason why Château De Cranne can produce critically acclaimed bottlings like this one at such amazing values, with land and capital costs absorbed by earlier generations. 

A mix of deep gravel, limestone, and clay, the soils that produced this beautiful Côtes de Bordeaux mimic what you would find in Saint-Émilion or Pomerol. (No wonder the fine-grained angular tannins here reminded us of Pavie-Macquin!) Château De Cranne’s 106 acres on the right bank of the Garonne River are spread across Donzac, Semens, Loupiac, and Cadillac, expressing the best qualities of each.

This mosaic of terroirs furnishes this wine with the complexity noted by Wine Enthusiast while the strict regimen of organic viticulture run by owner Vincent Lacoste captures the purity of fruit which remains juicy and precise. Bursting with cassis and graphite, the magnificently constructed 6éme Génération at just $18.99 is a deal we could only pull off in this magic city.