Description
Château Sigognac, Médoc Grand Vin
Château Sigognac’s 2008 Médoc is the latest in a long line of Bordeaux reds that had me asking, for what seemed like the hundredth time, if this could be one of the top Left Bank values we’ve encountered. Those of you who’ve subscribed for a while know that we feed you a steady diet of perfectly stored mature Bordeaux, because how could we—or anyone who truly loves wine—pass up an opportunity to drink a classic red with nearly 15 years of age? You know the answer: We can’t.
In just about every other wine region in the world, a well-aged, well-priced treasure like this one from Sigognac would be an anomaly; in Bordeaux, it’s standard practice, and best of all, the wines deliver. Grown in the northern part of the Médoc, on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, Sigognac’s sumptuous Grand Vin is driven by Merlot but contains more Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) than is typically encountered at this price point, and the wine is in a perfect place right now—velvety and surprisingly youthful, but also displaying all the fascinating “secondary” aromas and flavors that come with time. When a wine delivers this much sensory and intellectual stimulation for so little money, there’s no way we’re going to pass it by, no matter how many have come before it. It never gets old!
No other wine region in the world has Bordeaux’s diversity of production, its economies of scale, or its track record. There really is no place else quite like it: around every corner are small-scale châteaux like Sigognac, which goes back more than 500 years in the Left Bank village of Saint-Yzans-de-Médoc. Located north of Saint-Estèphe along the Gironde Estuary, Saint-Yzans is mostly characterized by clay-limestone soils, which favor Merlot, but the Sigognac estate, which has been recognized as a Cru Bourgeois of the Médoc, is planted to roughly 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. Like many historic estates in the region, it has passed through many hands along the way, but a turning point came in 2009 when it was acquired by the Allard family. Owner Christophe Allard and his children, Louis and Marion, lead a team that has been devoted to restoring the property to its former glory, including converting the 47 hectares of vineyards to organics.
Like many Bordeaux châteaux, Sigognac’s vineyards, which average an impressive 40 years of age, are all in one contiguous plot. Today’s 2008 was aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels before bottling, and, despite its age, the wine displays a very healthy, youthful color and a heady aromatic profile. There’s some terrific black plum and cassis fruit framed by a litany of savory notes—tobacco, leather, cocoa, turned earth, bay leaf—that carry over to the silky, full-bodied palate. This is one of those “plug-and-play” wines, right in its perfect drinking window, so extract the cork with care (perhaps using an Ah-so or Durand opener) and pour slowly and carefully into Bordeaux stems, watching for sediment. It unfolds beautifully and will keep you thinking and talking over the course of a great meal: Pair it with a classic beef bordelaise and don’t tell anyone how little you spent on this impressive, memorable bottle. It drinks way above its station. Cheers!
