Description
La Closerie des Eyrins, Margaux
Blue-chip Bordeaux with immediate First Growth proximity doesn’t exactly hint at affordability, but La Closerie des Eyrins does the impossible by crafting a pipette’s worth of pure, sustainably farmed Cabernet/Merlot in the heart of Margaux for $45. In today’s exorbitantly priced Bordeaux world, this rare 2016 is a godsend that exists, almost alone, as one of the Left Bank’s greatest sub-$50 investments!
The village of Margaux, immortalized by its eponymous First Growth château, has historically crafted some of the most polished, perfumed, and indulgent “Left Bank” Bordeaux money can buy. For that reason, shelling out triple digits isn’t just common, it’s customary. Not at Château des Eyrins: In 2008, power couple Xavier and Julie Gonet-Médeville purchased the estate from a three-generation family of Château Margaux cellarmasters, with the sole mission of providing affordable, world-class Bordeaux. The sale came with 2.9 hectares spread out over three sites, the largest being a triangular parcel twice-bordered by Château Margaux real estate—with Château Palmer just across the street! What I’m getting at is Eyrins should be charging heaps more for this genuine, tiny-production Margaux label because this is about as perfect and authentic as Left Bank gets. This parcel represents the final tranche of the vintage.
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Not much older than myself, husband and wife Xavier and Julie are the owners of a boutique Champagne house in Côte des Blancs’ Les Mesnil; the inimitable Château Gilette in Sauternes; and today’s Château des Eyrins in Margaux, among others. Both worked under the direction of Julie’s parents for eight years until venturing out on their own in 2005. Now with ownership in what seems like every shade and style of wine (sparkling, white, red, sweet), they’ve quickly created a name for themselves. Though both of their families have rich histories in the business, Xavier and Julie’s focus on small-production, conscientiously-crafted wines are among the best of any “newcomer.”
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Soils in Château des Eyrins’ vineyards are among the thinnest and most gravelly in all of Haut-Médoc, meaning their vines have deep-reaching roots—great for absorbing nutrients and groundwater. Grapes are harvested by hand and fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks with a three-week maceration. The blend is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot and the wine ages in 50% new French oak and 50% stainless steel for 18 months before the two are fused together. If you’ve previously purchased Eyrins’ Grand Vin, you may be asking what’s the difference between the two? “Closerie des Eyrins” comes from their younger vines, but other than that, the blend, percentage of new oak, and aging regimen are almost identical.
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Today’s 2016 “Closerie des Eyrins,” like the previous vintage, thunders across the palate with extreme polish and dark-fruited intensity but shows much more precision, elegance, and harmony overall. Still, there is immense structure and underlying luxury that is endemic to the world-famous, inimitable terroir of Margaux. No ifs and or buts about it—this $45 powerhouse is one of the great investments and values in all of Bordeaux! Give this at least 60 minutes in an oxygen-friendly decanter, pour it in your largest stems, and prepare for a multi-dimensional experience filled with black raspberry liqueur, ripe plums, huckleberry, dried black cherry, iron, crushed stone, cedar, pipe tobacco, leather, and baking spices on a rich bed of gravelly savor. This hits your palate with wave after wave of lush fruit and minerality—the famous interplay of Margaux—and lingers for minutes on end. You will not be forgetting this wine after an evening, especially if it’s alongside pricier competition. This is bonafide authentic, blue-chip Margaux with impossible-to-ignore quality and complexity. Missing it would be a serious crime for collectors, French connoisseurs, and Cabernet admirers alike. Enjoy now and over the next decade. Cheers!
