2016 Domaine de l'Aurage Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 750 ml

Domaine de l’Aurage proves that Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is one of the most underrated regions in France. It’s located in the extreme western area of the appellation, which Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, in the World Atlas of Wine, call “an effective extension of St-Émilion” in terms of its geology. That means that the Merlot and Cabernet Franc are rooted in the limestone and clay soils that produce the finest of the Right Bank.

It’s no surprise: Domaine de L’Aurage is the sister property to Right Bank château Tertre Roteboeuf, an icon known for crafting wines regarded in France as equals to Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc. Family patriarch (and mad scientist-philosopher-winemaker) François Mitjavile treated us to a tasting on our last Bordeaux trip, including this wine from L’Aurage where his son Louis runs the show. 

The 2016 Domaine de L’Aurage, which pairs elegance and nuance with the unmistakable richness and body of Merlot, stood tall amongst the $200 St-Émilion Grands Crus that we tasted, and scored alongside wines up to TEN TIMES its price according to critic Jeb Dunnuck, who praised this $35 stunner for it’s “seamless texture,” before confidently categorizing it as an “awesome wine.”

Located a stone’s throw from legendary garagiste Valandraud, the highly expressive ruby-garnet L’Aurage impressed us with its aromas of ripe plum, black cherry, leather, mocha, and herbs and super-balanced and long finish. 

The 25-year-old vines at Domaine de l’Aurage supply superb concentration, and the wine is vinified in traditional concrete vats before aging in a significant portion of new oak (sometimes 100%). By and large, the method follows that of Tertre Roteboeuf: The Mitjavile family is known to allow greater temperature fluctuations during aging, which they believe develops aromatics and allows the wine to develop in a more fascinating way—and if the beautiful older vintages of l’Aurage that we tasted are any indication, they are spot-on. 

The 2016 Domaine l’Aurage is a stellar wine from a property that, just a decade into its life, is leading the way in one of Bordeaux’s newest star appellations. Now is the time to get in on this St-Émilion rival—which is quickly gaining on its famous neighbor—before they start closing the gap in price as well.