Happy Bordeaux Friday!

Oh, you didn’t know??

If people can make up “National Chewing Gum Day” and “National Mud Pack Day”, why can’t we declare “National Bordeaux Day”?

Today we celebrate THE crown jewel of French wine, both banks, Right and Left. One feature, and MANY treasures in the Store.

Spanning the 2009-2019 vintages, from Castillon to St.-Émilion, from Medoc to Margaux, and from $25 to $599, whether you’re new to Bordeaux or a seasoned collector, there’s something for everyone! Mix and match a case or two. Or three?

Turning our focus to this Grand Cru St.-Émilion Fleur Morange - a true cult status Bordeaux, with 97 points from Jeb Dunnuck.

If you spent the $200 retail, it would sting, no matter how expansive your wine budget. But at $69, WITH $130 per bottle savings, it’s almost like a buy one get TWO free!

Now, we could argue it’s worth $200. Next to a Cheval Blanc, an Ausone, or a Pavie it’s even a great value. That’s not hyperbole. Jancis Robinson raves that “tasting it blind in a line-up of 2005 red Bordeaux for Decanter magazine, the owner of fine wine traders Farr Vintners and I took it for Château Ausone and Pavie respectively…

Indeed, the initial pop and pour revealed something truly profound… a perfumed and aromatic beauty that boggles the mind when compared to a traditional Bordeaux. The wine exhibits the freshest as well as candied red and black fruits. There are minerals, earth, and a leather component as well, the kind you find in fancy cars equally exotic as this wine. Feel free to decant and let it breathe long, for blissful slow sipping over an entire evening.

Robert Parker explains the quality as “The well-known Claude Gros is the consulting oenologist at this small garagiste operation in St.-Émilion. The average age of the vines is … get this … 100 years!” while Gros was brought in late in 2002 and have overseen a steady rise in both quality and, alas, prices of La Fleur Morange since then.”

Meanwhile, as far as the market goes - these are UVPs. Unseen Vinous Phenomena. You won’t find it elsewhere. It simply DOES NOT EXIST in the US of A. Once these are gone, it will continue to be so.

97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“This tiny estate located down on the lower plain continues to produce a powerful, opulent style of wine. Their 2016 La Fleur Morange is another beauty, boasting full-bodied richness and serious concentration go with a monster bouquet of crème de cassis, spring flowers, rose petals, and ample sandy, loamy soil notes. It has some oak to integrate, a stacked mid-palate, beautiful tannins, and an awesome finish. Hats off to proprietors Jean François and Véronique Julien and consultant Claude Gros for a brilliant St.-Émilion. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. The blend is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc brought up in new 500-liter barrels. Drink 2021-2041.”