It was a tough call between this and the 2018 Pomerol, so guess what? We went with both!

The two could not be more different but at almost the same price, both are SCREAMING bargains for Bordeaux of this caliber. Grand Cru St.-Émilion from the heralded Figeac sector, is hard to come by, let alone at this price, thanks to a nearly half-off discount. Add the glowing review and voila, you have yourself a ‘no brainer’ as the French would say. Wait, that’s what we Americans say, are we looking for l’irrésistible in French? Whichever s’applique!

A fascinating true story – as you just can’t make this up – we owe the notoriety of this wine to Château Figeac, NEXT DOOR neighbor to Château Magnan-Figeac, who used their weight as a Classified Growth, and their hefty $300 per bottle price they can get away with. Figeac sued Magnan-Figeac to drop the Figeac name a couple of years ago, but they shot themselves in the foot, not only by losing the lawsuit but also almost losing their own name! Like we said, can’t make this stuff up!

Well, the wine, at less than a TENTH of its neighbor’s cost only through Wine Spies today, with double the 92-point scores to boost, is the stuff of deep envy for sure.

Cut of the same cloth even if only by looks, with a glowing claret that is translucent all the way to the bricking rim. The nose confirms and conforms with the aristocracy of this region, and its Grand Cru status, with mineral-laced bold cherries, accented by spiced blackberries. Showing ripe and big, while attaining a sublime balance, the palate is all about texture, with a caressing warmth. Lasts for over a minute too, with chocolate and licorice notes adding to the layers. Pair with French classics, as it has the depth to add notches of sophistication to rustic, countryside recipes too.

Did we mention 2015? What a legendary vintage it was in Bordeaux, certainly worthy of the hype as an early candidate for one of the BEST of the century! For Wine Spectator for example, only 1989 and 2010 rated higher amongst the greatest ever, when they raved that “extremely warm and dry growing season favored the Right Bank’s clay and limestone soils, St.-Émilion being the sweet spot.”

Sweet spot this is. A perfect example of staying off the main roads in Bordeaux, in pursuit of the few scattered under the radar micro-properties that share their bigger neighbors’ everything but the price. They are rare, notwithstanding out there, but do sell out fast. We know our savvy Operatives will not leave a bottle behind.

We did not either when we found the last few cases out there, now it’s your turn!

92 Points – Wine Enthusiast

“This Moreaud family estate lies in the Figeac sector on the western side of the Saint-Émilion appellation. With the richness of dense Merlot lifted by perfumed Cabernet Franc, the wine is ripe, full of blueberry and black-cherry fruit and has a fine edge of acidity. Drink the wine from 2021.”

92 Points – James Suckling

“Very pretty blueberry and chocolate character here. Medium to full body, integrated and polished tannins and a bright, fruity finish. Energetic and delicious. Needs two or three years of bottle age.”