Clos Du Jaugueyron, Haut Medoc, 2016

Cherry, Mocha, Silky

Bordeaux / Red / Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot / Organic

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, this wine combines destemmed and whole-bunch grapes, macerating for 7–10 days in concrete tanks. After gentle pressing and fermentation in concrete, it is aged for a year in a mix of barriques, 400-litre barrels, and some foudres, with a small proportion of new wood, before blending and bottling. 2016 was a beautiful classical age-worthy vintage and this is a prime example.

Notes on the producer

Originally from Minervois in Languedoc, Michel Théron was destined to take over the family domaine after completing his studies in Bordeaux but he fell in love with his now-wife Stéphanie, a Bordelaise, and never went back. Michel quickly became fascinated by the history and beauty of the Médoc and bought his first parcel in Cantenac in 1993, 0.4ha of ungrafted vines that gave their name to the domaine. This historical plot was subsequently leased to their friends Laurence Alias and Pascal Choime when they created Closeries des Moussis. Open-minded and altruist Michel and Stéphanie are pioneers who inspired a new generation of Bordeaux vignerons such as Closeries des Moussis, Osamu Uchida and Vincent Quirac (Clos 19 Bis). They work in harmony with nature to bring the best out of their legendary terroir and, in the process, show the world that Bordeaux hasn’t lost its soul.

The winery is rudimentary, at least compared to the regional norm, and is conveniently placed next to their house in the middle of the Landes. The wines are manipulated as little as possible at all stages, fermentations take place in cement tanks, and the wines are neither racked nor topped up during their 12-21 months élevage, which allows them to use very low levels of sulphur of around 25mg/l total.