{"product_id":"chateau-de-grandchamp-montagne-saint-emilion-2022","title":"Chateau de Grandchamp Montagne Saint-Emilion 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMontagne 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMerlot 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGonzague 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuck 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sauce","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51241886286047,"sku":null,"price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8200158.jpg?v=1787347830","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/chateau-de-grandchamp-montagne-saint-emilion-2022","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}