Chateau de Grandchamp Montagne Saint-Emilion 2022
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The Land
Montagne Saint-Emilion is a satellite appellation, one of the villages ringing Saint-Emilion that earned the right to hang the famous name after their own. Chateau de Grandchamp is the only estate on the hillside above Parsac, an old commune absorbed into Montagne in 1973. The soil is clay-limestone shot through with small traces of iron, and in 2022 that mattered more than anything else. Clay-limestone regulates water: it banks reserves and releases them slowly through drought. Bordeaux in 2022 delivered four heatwaves touching 40°C and almost no rain between budbreak and harvest. Vines on deep gravel and sand had scorched leaves and stalled berries by mid-July. The clay-limestone hillsides kept working. An 18th-century tower stands in the middle of the vineyard, carved with a pilgrim walking the route to Santiago de Compostela; that carving is the label.
The Wine
Merlot leads, joined by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Gonzague Maurice has been adding Cabernet Franc as the climate warms, because it ripens later and holds acidity in hot years, which is exactly the problem 2022 handed him. Fruit is triaged twice, once in the vineyard and again in the cellar. Fermentation runs in small temperature-controlled concrete tanks, and aging splits between tank and one- to two-year-old barrels, so oak seasons the wine instead of coating it. Black cherry, plum skin, crushed violet, and a graphite streak, then dark fleshy fruit over fine-grained tannin and a savory, iron-tinged finish. The 2022 berries came in small and thick-skinned after the drought, which concentrates color and tannin, and harvest across Bordeaux ran 15 to 20 days ahead of normal. This is a hot-vintage Right Bank red that kept its freshness.
The People
Gonzague Maurice farms 10 hectares of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon by hand, in densely planted rows. He has farmed organically since 2010 but walked away from official certification, deciding the cost and paperwork made no sense on wines priced this modestly. Grass is sown between the rows and plowing alternates row by row, which keeps the soil alive and pushes roots down. His stated goal in the vineyard is narrow and unglamorous: perfectly ripe, perfectly clean fruit. In the cellar he works to preserve that fruit rather than reshape it, which is why the wine tastes like Merlot grown on limestone rather than like a barrel. Imported by Polaner Selections.
Food Pairing
Duck confit with green lentils and mustard, where the tannin scrubs the fat. Braised beef short ribs with carrots and bay, which the wine has the density to carry. A mushroom and thyme risotto finished with parmesan, since Merlot on limestone answers earthy umami better than it answers red meat. Or a wedge of aged Ossau-Iraty and a baguette, nothing else. This is the bottle to open on a Tuesday when dinner turned out better than expected.
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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
Merlot, a red grape variety celebrated for its soft tannins and approachable fruit, is a cornerstone of winemaking around the world. It achieves some of its highest expressions on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, particularly in prestigious appellations like Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, where it forms the dominant part of many celebrated blends, contributing richness and plushness. Merlot also plays a significant role in Tuscany, where it is a key component in many Super Tuscan wines, and also stands alone to produce spectacular varietal wines. In Washington's Columbia Valley, Merlot thrives in the region's sunny days and cool nights, producing varietal wines that highlight its velvety texture and generous fruit profile. While Merlot is widely planted in California, some believe it reaches even greater heights in Washington State.
