Duc des Nauves Cotes de Bordeaux, 2019

Cabernet, Merlot Blend. What a joy it is to have access to the “second wine” of such a singular estate—one that boasts the same rigorously natural vineyard management and cellar practices as Chateau Le Puy itself. The Amoreau family acquired this nine-hectare vineyard in 2006, and immediately began employing biodynamic practices (Duc des Nauves is certified biodynamic as of the 2015 vintage). Planted to 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the vineyard is situated on the same Asterie-limestone mother rock as those of Le Puy, but at a slightly lower altitude—80 meters above sea level compared to Le Puy’s 110 meters. The topsoil is slightly sandier and less clayey here, and it is a bit deeper than at Le Puy—between 1.0 and 1.3 meters. In the cellar, Duc des Nauves is both fermented (spontaneously, of course) and aged in cement, and bottled without filtration after one year. This 2015 is stellar, its Le Puy bloodline showing in its aromatic exuberance, silky and harmonious palate, and overall seamlessness. It brims with the vigor and generosity of the great 2015 vintage, but it is in no way overripe or out of balance. One would be hard-pressed to find a Bordeaux at this price offering more pleasure, life, and complexity.