Description
Château des Joualles, Bordeaux Supérieur
Between tariffs, COVID, and the global wine-shipping meltdown that has ensued, it’s become more difficult for us to lay hands on blockbuster Bordeaux values like today’s Bordeaux Supérieur from Château des Joualles. I’m always excited when a wine like this arrives in our warehouse, but these days I’m a lot of other things as well: relieved, amazed, grateful, and hopeful that conditions improve, because over-achieving Bordeaux is a staple of the SommSelect diet. Nevertheless, we persist, and it says something about the unparalleled value to be found in Bordeaux that this wine still made it here at $29 a bottle.
Sure, you’ve heard this story before, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling: While everyone focuses on a relatively small handful of big-name châteaux, there are so many unsung, family-run operations like Vignobles Freylon, whose vineyards at their Château des Joualles sit on a clay and limestone plateau in the village of Ruch—a village which falls within the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC but is a mere half-hour southeast of St-Émilion. In terms of geology and wine style, it’s impossible not to see the resemblance, until, of course, you get to the price. This is an opulent Merlot-driven gem from the Right Bank that is a prime candidate for purchase by the case, immensely pleasurable now and worthy of a spot in the cellar. There are many pretenders to the throne, but wines like this remind me that Bordeaux—in the right hands, of course—is still the king!
Brothers Bruno and Erick Freylon handle winemaking and sales, respectively, at the 42-hectare Château des Joualles. Their vineyards are planted to roughly 70% Merlot and 15% each Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, with about two-thirds of those vineyards having been re-planted since the Freylons acquired the property in 1981. The village of Ruch sits relatively close to the Dordogne River, up on a gently sloping plateau, so while the wine carries a Bordeaux Supérieur designation, it helps to drill down on terroir a little bit: Merlot-driven reds from St-Émilion and Pomerol are the best analogs in this instance; the clay/limestone mix is ideal for the variety, and what you’ll notice in this 2015 is some Pomerol-esque concentration. Part of that is the vintage, but this is a wine that has a reputation for velvety richness and oak spice. That’s why the Freylons eschew oak and opt for stainless steel in this cuvée, and the result is a vivid, makeup-free snapshot of Bordeaux.
That’s what I appreciate most about this 2015—the beautiful purity of fruit, which exp off the iron-like minerality and earthy, turned-soil savor. In a price tier that is dominated by wines made by a handful of powerful consultants, this one has a more traditional, terroir-driven feel to it. In the glass, it’s a deep, nearly opaque garnet red moving to magenta at the rim, with aromas of Damson plum, huckleberry, cherry, dark chocolate, potting soil, and a hint of pepper. It is medium-plus in body and has a dense but balanced feel on the palate—a plump, juicy mouthful but one with some nice “cut” for pairing with food. Decent it 15-30 minutes before serving in Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees with steaks off the grill or the attached riff on coq au vin. And, as I said above, consider grabbing a case if you’ve got the room—this is a “house red” anyone would be thrilled to have handy, believe me. Enjoy it!
