Description
Château Bel-Air Lagrave, Cru Bourgeois
One of our favorite phrases in wine has to be “decades-old Bordeaux with flawless provenance” because emerging with one of these pristine artifacts is akin to discovering a long-lost treasure and tasting one is a deeply stimulating experience like no other. Accordingly, we struck liquid gold upon finding a few old, cellar-direct bottlings from Château Bel-Air Lagrave last year, with the high point being a two-hour sellout of 1985 magnums. At the time, we counted it as our shrewdest direct import to date because it was a large-format paragon of properly mature, traditionally crafted Left Bank Bordeaux. That’s why we’re elated to reveal our newest batch of 1985s, except this time they’re in 750ml formats, and they cost just $50!
The price-to-quality here is mindblowing: This parcel evolved for 35 years without any sunlight, movement, or fluctuation in temperature, and the château went the extra mile by reconditioning, recorking, and refilling each bottle (with the same wine) to ensure it’d be perfectly sound once arriving at your door. Seriously, this is a sublime, savory, melt-in-your-mouth Left Bank red—the quintessential mature Bordeaux experience. Do not miss out. Today’s special order cannot be found elsewhere and it represents the last of Bel-Air Lagrave’s trove of ’85s. Up to 12 bottles per person.
NOTE: A much smaller parcel of Bel-Air Lagrave’s 1990 Grand Vin is also available here.
While you may not need this reminder, I’ll repeat it anyway: Bordeaux is big. Nevertheless, most of the attention is lavished upon a relatively tiny fraction of the region’s estates—namely, those Crus Classés (“classified growths”) listed in the famous ranking of 1855. One could stay busy with the 61 red wine-producing châteaux in that 1855 Classification, but at this point, you’ll pay handsomely to do so. That’s why we spend so much time turning over rocks in search of wines like today’s. It is here in Moulis-en-Médoc, a low-dollar/high-value Left Bank appellation that sits between titans Saint-Julien and Margaux, where you’ll find a star-studded trove of châteaux (Poujeaux, Chasse-Spleen, Maucaillou, Bel-Air Lagrave) that dazzle critics with their elegance, price-to-quality, and longevity. Further, Bel-Air Lagrave actually falls under one of Bordeaux’s other classifications: Cru Bourgeois, created by merchants in 1932 to showcase estates of high quality throughout the “Left Bank.” Over the decades, this ever-evolving classification has become a shining beacon of value.
Owned by the same family since the 19th century, Bel-Air Lagrave has as much pedigree as they do patience in the cellar. For decades, they’ve held back an impressive amount of inventory, a common practice of yore, and this has resulted in a “library” filled to the brim with back vintages. When the new generation recently took over, they began releasing some of these closely held heirlooms, which is how today’s stash of 1985s was made possible.
As with most châteaux in Moulis, Bel-Air Lagrave’s land holdings lie further away from the Gironde River, where the soils transition from sandy gravel to more clay-limestone. Their vineyards are heavily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) and Merlot (30%) with a smattering of Petit Verdot, and this roughly mirrors that blend, albeit with a touch more Cabernet Sauvignon. Following fermentation and blending, the wine was transferred into mostly new French oak for 20 months. It was bottled towards the end of 1987 and sent to rest in their cellar for 33 undisturbed years.
This stunning ‘85 Cru Bourgeois is drinking exceptionally well right now. All you need to do is gently extract the cork, serve in your grandest Bordeaux stems around 60 degrees, and allow it to rest in your glass for about five minutes before taking your first sip. From here, we suggest consuming over two hours, although it will still show impressive energy beyond that! In the glass, it erupts with supple yet intoxicatingly savory notes of vintage leather, crushed gravel, wild herbs underbrush, loose tobacco, cigar wrapper, baking spice, and cedar shavings. But, wait a few minutes, and soft notes of dried plums, currant, mixed brambleberries, and dried cherry shed their nervous shell and really come alive. As we mentioned for the previous Bel-Air Lagrave offers, this is for those who live and breathe ancient terroir, one that’s more than a striking visual—what lies inside is the real deal. It’s a tour de force with extreme finesse and legitimate terroir identity. Enjoy now through 2025. Cheers!
