From Next Door to Pomerol ~ Your New House Bordeaux
It has taken nearly a decade, but we have finally made hay in Bordeaux. Sure, there have been little victories here and there, but a quick trip last summer put me and Sébastien in the WOW column for a region that has recently had way more misses than hits. The moment came at the kitchen table of Vincent LaGrave, maybe one of the coolest, kindest dudes we work with, and a true master with a barbecue grill, some vine cuttings, and a côte de boeuf.
But that moment at Vincent's table took an 8-year, circuitous route!
Caroline Bonville's (Mas Karoina) sister originally recommended that I needed to meet some dude called Paul, as he was the guy doing for quality oak barrels what we enjoy doing with small wineries, and working somewhat in the unknown. So I think it was in 2018 that I took the TGV from Montparnasse and met him at the Libourne train station. From there we set off for a day meeting winemakers "I never knew existed."
You see, Paul sells a barrel or two here and there, preferring to get intimately involved with the winemakers he works with, eschewing monster orders for hundreds of barrels at a time, and keeps his relationships one-on-one. It's our kind of model.
In fact, his relationship is such that he offers to make deliveries to restaurants and wine shops in Bordeaux for some of his winemakers so they can just concentrate on making wine. And it was in that vein that Paul introduced me to Vincent Lagrave, knowing full well that once I became inevitably hooked, it would mean less for the locals. But he knew that Vincent and I would hit it off.
And we did. And still do to this day.
Vincent's simple winery is basically a machine shed about a kilometer from the front gate at Petrus. He is a former rugbyman that farms two small plots in Lalande de Pomerol, works alone, and is in the process of renovating his building using his own homemade scaffolding--made from old pallets.
Lagrave makes this lovely Bordeaux from a small holding on the other side of the street--just OUTSIDE the Pomerol appellation. It is Merlot and Cabernet Franc at its succulent, lovely best. This, I think, is the kind of small farm Bordeaux that widely existed 50 years ago in the region. But as commercialization took root here since the 70's, projects like Vincent's became fewer and farther between.
Over that lunch, as he put the finishing touches on a fantastic piece of Cantal, Vincent let us know that of the 2000 bottles he produced of this lovely wine, only 180 remained. And worse, he decided not to make any wine in 2021, dissatisfied with the grape quality and his entire crop was sold to the local cooperative. So--this is the one to hoard for the next few years!
Chateau La Rose Vimiere 'Les Eymerits' Bordeaux Superieur 2020
plump, juicy, and polished Bordeaux wine
made from dark-fruited Merlot, and savory Cabernet Franc
small vineyard located just across the street from the Pomerol appellation
My guess is that we'll go back again and again for Vincent's wines, and more lunch at his kitchen table. We think you'll be a fast fan!