Chateau Haut de la Becade 2020 Pauillac

The Wine

"Beautiful nose of blackberries, black cherries, cloves, black pepper, and a little dark chocolate. The wine has a compelling intensity of bramble fruits on the palate, energetic, and mouth filling, with elegance and finesse. Juicy, long finish. 95 points." - Decanter (WWA)

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: "Lovely cassis and gravelly stone. Dark violet in color expressing a youthful hue. The medium acidity reflects its ability to continue to age with a backbone. This medium to full-bodied wine shows good clay and mineral-granite character along the length of the palate; while being encased in red currant and violet essence. This wine will continue to improve over the next 10 years."

This wine is sought after by those who know it because of their balance, finesse, and the ability to age gracefully.

Priced in the low $50s, this should be one of your no-brainer buying decisions this year! The best opportunity from Pauillac we've ever offered! 

Hand harvested and sorted. Aged nearly 2 years in French oak barrels. Fined with egg whites. 600 cases produced.  14% ABV. Best when served at 55-60 degrees.

The Winery

Pauillac. Just nine square miles, but this little plot of land is the crown jewel of the Medoc. Home to three of the five first-growth Bordeaux - some of the world's most expensive and sought-after red wines. But almost everything from Pauillac is out of reach in terms of pricing ($800 - $1000+/bottle) and availability.

Almost every winery in this blue-chip AOC is owned by a classified growth or a large holding company - You can count the number of remaining small estates in Pauillac on one hand - and I'm not being figurative here, there is one per finger. Of those five, there is only one hidden gem: Chateau Haut de la Becade, owned by the Rainaud family since the 1933. They make just 600 cases per year from their 17-acre vineyard, planted 30 years ago.

Chateau Haut de Becade is a story of 'location, location, location'. The family's property sits smack dab in the middle of 7 classified growths. Look north you'll see Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau d'Armailhac, and Chateau Pontet Canet. Turn around and you'll see Chateau Pichon Baron, Chateau Pichon Lalande de Comtesse, and Chateau Latour, all in a 2-mile radius!