Puy Galland comes from Bordeaux where the Cotes de Francs vineyards are in the undiscovered (and high value) area just 10K east of Saint-Emilion.
Cotes de Francs. A rolling, green part
of Right Bank Bordeaux that's producing some
of Bordeaux's least known but most amazing
little wines.
The Thienpont family first put Cotes de
Francs on the map. They own Le Pin in
Pomerol. You remember, Le Pin. It set an
auction record a while back - 12 bottles went
for $32,000. They know how to make wine.
The Thienponts recognized what glorious
terroir there was in Cotes de Francs
which is just northeast of Saint-Emilion and
they bought Chateau Puygueraud and then other
chateaux. Hubert de Bouard of Chateau
Angelus caught on next and bought a
chateau for himself there and suddenly people
started paying attention - including myself.
I've always got my eyes open when it comes to
affordable Bordeaux made by winemakers whose
livelihood actually depends upon their making
a knockout wine. Of course, I am especially
keen on finding them in great years like
2005.
These little chateaux often are not too good
at the marketing part, but they're great at
the wine part, which is what I care about. I
don't expect my wine to come to me via some
snazzy press kit - I'm willing to go out and
break a trail if I have to. The rewards for
doing this are often stunning.
All of this points right to Chateau Puy
Galland. Bernard Labatut's Chateau Puy
Galland is exactly what I look for. A classy
Bordeaux with flesh and black cherries, very
round in the mouth. Many people don't realize
it, but there are a lot of affordable wines
in Bordeaux that just get shouldered aside by
the Classified Growth buzz. Yes, you can
drink great Bordeaux every night - you just
have to know where to find them.
Bernard Labatut is the third generation to
work the vines at Chateau Puy Galland. His
26-year-old son will soon take the reins.
Bernard likes the organic approach to wine
growing. He de-leafs and green harvests to
produce better quality grapes.
Bernard inspects his grapes as they are
harvested on his table de tri to
ensure there are no losers getting into the
final blend. He uses oak judiciously to
maintain a balance between fruit and
tannin. He is dedicated to quality and
works with oenologist Jean Philippe Faure at
winemaker to the stars Michel Rolland's
oenology firm.
There is a round, substantial,
dark-fruitiness to this wine. Bernard Labatut
suggests nothing less than foie gras for his
beauty, but I think we can stoop to things
less lofty. I've had Puy Galland with a roast
chicken or a grilled pork chop and the wine
didn't seem to be embarrassed at all.
Let's have Bordeaux tonight. Cynthia
Hurley
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