Description
Clos Saint-André, Pomerol
Did you blink? Sorry, prices went up: Château Lafleur is $2,000. Le Pin is $4,000. Pétrus is $6,000. This is the 2.4-square-mile cult kingdom of Pomerol, and while it seems nothing will slow this magnificent beast, the least I can do is divulge one of its most tremendous and confidential secrets: Lurking in the shadows of the legendary giants is the epic, single-wine estate of Clos Saint-André. This one-man, eight-barrel operation is a truly outstanding and absurdly rare luxury good that costs 15-50x less than the abovementioned labels.
And another secret, or rather, information that is often “overlooked” is that Pétrus produces no less than 2,000 thousand cases per year. You’ll need to shave off a zero for Clos Saint-André. That’s right: Just 200 cases are produced from Jean-Claude Desmarty’s garden-sized, backyard parcel of ancient vines. The result is Pomerol perfection, with all the seductively dark fruit, velvet-like tannins, and shape-shifting tobacco/truffle/espresso aromatics that make this village the world’s finest Merlot destination. To have lucked into a small cache of this opulent, intricately complex gem is one of the most exciting things to happen to us all year. For those seeking to truly “understand/admire” Pomerol, I can suggest few finer, more illustrative wines. This top-vintage 2019 is a brilliant investment that promises to unleash enormous, memory-stamping pleasure whenever uncorked. Less than 50 cases left Europe and they are not easy to find. Up to six bottles per person.
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NOTE: This is only available as a pre-offer. We expect our small parcel to arrive in 2-3 weeks.
While words like “artisanal” and “cult” are tossed around like Halloween candy these days, there’s no overstating the artisan scale of Clos Saint-André. Desmarty is truly micro. For most of the year, Jean-Clade Desmarty’s work resembles home gardening as much as viticulture. Using his own hands and one horse—zero machines—Desmarty carefully tends to a 0.6-hectare parcel of 60-99-year-old vines that sit adjacent to his house. And that’s it. That’s his entire holdings.
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Come harvest, Desmarty beckons a few friends and neighbors with the promise of a celebratory dinner, and the group entirely completes the low-yielding pick in about five hours while food is prepared. It’s a marvel to consider that Desmarty’s grapes travel less than 100 meters to his small garage winery (in baskets on the backs of those friends) where they are hand-sorted and naturally fermented in stainless steel tanks. There are no pumps or other winery technology—just capable hands and gravity. Today’s 2019 vintage spent about 18 months aging in two used and six new French oak barriques and the final cépage was 80% Merlot with a mix of Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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With its silken tannins, powerful plum and dark cherry fruit, and an entrancing black truffle/tobacco finish that lasts straight through until the next sip, there’s no disputing today’s 2019 marks yet another exceptional Pomerol for Clos Saint-André. In fact, I’m prepared to go further: It’s the best I’ve ever tasted, and a close friend who’s been familiar with Desmarty since his inaugural release in 2004 called it the best he’s ever made. This is classically layered and intricate Pomerol with genuine soul, and, as anyone who’s enjoyed a mature sip of Lafleur will attest, this village’s best wines age like no other. I expect this to go 20 years with ease. If drinking in the next few years (it’s fantastic right now; you won’t regret it), decant your bottle for one hour and serve in large Bordeaux stems alongside a hearty dish of braised lamb shanks.
