Chateau Le Puy Duc des Nauves 2023
We have 19 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
The Duc des Nauves vineyard sits on the same astéries limestone plateau as Saint-Émilion and Pomerol on the right bank of Bordeaux, at 80 meters elevation — slightly lower than Le Puy’s main estate but sharing the same fundamental geology. The topsoil here is slightly sandier and less clayey, running between 1.0 and 1.3 meters deep — a small but meaningful distinction that gives the wine a bit more lift and approachability relative to the flagship cuvées. This corner of the Right Bank is one of the most compelling and undersung terroirs in all of Bordeaux, where limestone bedrock and a cool, maritime-influenced climate conspire to produce wines of genuine freshness and site clarity.
The Wine
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon — fermented with indigenous yeast, aged 12 months in small cement vats, and bottled without filtration. No new oak, no manipulation, no sulfur until bottling. The cement preserves aromatics and texture without adding anything extraneous. The result is a Bordeaux that drinks with an immediacy that the region rarely delivers at this price: full bodied but elegant. Dark cherry, plum, slightly reductive, perfectly balanced with velvety tannins and enough freshness to keep you coming back. This is a fresher and more natural expression of Bordeaux and a style that the best producers are moving towards.
The People
Jean-Pierre Amoreau and his son Pascal are the 14th generation of the Amoreau family at Château Le Puy. The estate maintains 150 acres of forests, fig trees, hazelnut groves, and beehives alongside their vineyards — not as an aesthetic choice but as a deliberate ecological strategy to maintain biodiversity and natural predator-prey balance in the farming system. No synthetic treatments have ever been used at the estate, which is certified biodynamic, with harvest done by hand, grapes entirely destemmed, and fermentation driven solely by indigenous yeast. The Duc des Nauves is farmed and vinified with the same rigor as the estate’s top wines. At this price, it is one of the most honest bottles in Bordeaux.
Food Pairing:
Duc des Nauves is the kind of Bordeaux that wants food with some weight and earthiness but nothing that overpowers it. Think roasted lamb with herbs, a mushroom and lentil ragù, a burger, or a simple bavette steak. The wine’s sandy limestone freshness and lack of new oak mean it favors honest, savory preparations over anything rich or heavily sauced — this is a table wine in the best French sense of the word.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
The Bordeaux wine region, an emblem of vinicultural prestige, is bisected by the Gironde Estuary into the Left and Right Banks, each celebrated for distinct styles shaped by their unique terroirs. The Left Bank is renowned for its structured, Cabernet Sauvignon-led blends, while the Right Bank favors the softer, Merlot-dominated wines. This region is also the birthplace of the luscious, sweet wines of Sauternes. Bordeaux's time-honored blend and winemaking techniques have inspired countless wine regions around the globe, setting a benchmark for the wine world.
Bordeaux
Cabernet Sauvignon, originally hailing from Bordeaux, France, has triumphantly spread to become a cornerstone of vineyards worldwide, achieving particular renown in Napa Valley. This versatile grape variety adapts to a broad spectrum of climates, producing full-bodied wines that are rich in black cherry and blackcurrant flavors, with layered complexities of oak and spice. The grape's success in regions like Napa Valley is a testament to its global adaptability, where it benefits from the optimal blend of warm days and cool nights, coupled with diverse soil types, to express a unique balance of power and elegance that pays homage to its Bordeaux origins.
