2016 Chateau Pied D'Argent Cotes de Bordeaux 750 ml

The Bordeaux that the Locals Love

The old advice is correct: Whatever the locals are eating and drinking, follow their lead. We did, and have this stellar wine to offer as a result.

We were reminded of this in the most delicious way when we first came upon Chateau Pied d’Argent during a recent trip to Bordeaux. After days traversing the iconic chateaux of the Médoc on the Left Bank and the great properties of Pomerol and St-Émilion on the Right, we found ourselves driving through the Côtes de Bordeaux on what seemed to be turning into a bit of a wild-goose chase, hunting for a classic, bargain claret.

On our second to last night, at the beginning of a casual dinner with a friend of ours in the town of Cadillac, we put wine-ordering duties on her shoulders.

“Seriously?” she asked, somewhat incredulous. “Aren’t you guys, like, the pros?”

“Sure,” Head of Wine Vanessa Conlin replied. “But we’ve been tasting all day, and I want to know what the locals are drinking.”

Five minutes later, a bottle of 2016 Chateau Pied d’Argent arrived. The waiter—this restaurant was far too casual to employ a full-time sommelier, with faded wooden tables, chipped plates, and mismatched utensils; in other words, it was dripping with old-school Gallic charm—sliced off the capsule, unceremoniously sloshed a bit of the translucent ruby liquid into thick-rimmed cafe glasses, and awaited our approval.

It came instantly.

Here was a wine that seemed to perfectly embody the inherent beauty of the lesser-known parts of Bordeaux: It was complex but not precious, from beguilingly savory notes of spice box and leather to the black and red currants, plums, and cedar. In other words, it was exactly the sort of unselfconscious claret that most local Bordelais drink on a daily basis, but that we too rarely see on our side of the Atlantic.

The blend is classic, a Merlot-dominant beauty whose inherent gulpability is spiced up by the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a bit of Malbec. Alongside the massive plates of rendered duck breast, steak frites, and seared foie gras that followed, it was perfect, framing the food without overwhelming it, and so delicious on its own that we actually ended up ordering a second bottle after we were done with our entrees.

We decided before the cheese course that we had to see where it was made. So the next morning we set off, getting lost several times along the way, and after meeting with Monsieur and Madame Suils—the fourth generation of the family on the breathtaking land—we had a deal.

Their 2016, we’re confident in saying, is one of the single best Bordeaux deals we’ve offered this year, a wine of elegance and energy that is absolutely irresistible right now yet also built to age for another four or five years with ease. Fortunately, at $16.99 per bottle, and $14.99 each on a purchase of six, it’s easy to pick up enough to enjoy a few right now and lay the rest down for a couple of years.

Turns out our friend knew exactly what she was doing when she ordered this wine at the cafe in Cadillac.