By Sommelier Ruud Vleeming
During my summer vacation in 2018 I stayed in St Loubès, a village near Bordeaux in the beautiful region of the “Entre Deux Mers” between the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers. One of the local wineries is Chateau Reignac producer of “grand vin de Reignac”, competing wine in blind tastings with the top Bordeaux grand crus. The local terroir consists of molasse du Fronsadais, marlstone, the limestone of Castillon, and gravel from ancient alluvial terraces. So, the terroir reunites the specifications from both right bank (Médoc) and left bank (St Emilion) and the wine is the rather usual blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and in some years a little Cabernet Franc. As I’m devoted to Bordeaux wines, I bought the Grand Vins de Reignac, millesimes 2010 and 2015. I stored both editions in my cellar and every time I saw them laying in my wine-rack I hesitated: Shall I open a bottle, are they really so good??
Finally, last week the moment of truth arrived and one of my 2010 bottles was opened.
After opening I gave the wine about two hours to reach room temperature and to breathe. Well …. in my glass the wine expressed a dens ruby/purple color, which was followed by a nose of blackberries, cherries and perhaps some smokey wood. On the tongue I tasted a fullbodied wine with moderate tannins and a long finish. Although 10 years old, the wine had still fresh elements with a well-delineated taste of black fruit, like dark cherries, some blackberries and a touch of cedar wood. This wine really has the WOW-effect. Was I drinking a delicious St Emilion? Yes and no, I was drinking a topper from St Loubès, a wine with characteristics you won’t expect from its humble pedigree-appellation of Bordeaux Supérieur. My 2010 bottles will have a hard time to reach 2021!