“This is a superb Durfort Vivens, arguably the finest up to that point.” – Neal Martin, Vinous

Hopefully, we’re stocked up on library Saint-Julien and ready to go!

Where to next? Staying in the Médoc, heading a little south to Margaux!

At 97-points, UNDER $90, this satiny stunner stole our hearts. And it will steal yours.

Gonzague Lurton and his wife, Claire Villars Lurton, are easily two of our favorite people in the Médoc. If you don’t know them, you need to. Humble, generous, uber-intelligent, they are on the forefront of the organic and biodynamic revolution in Bordeaux.

And Durfort-Vivens, their second growth in Margaux, while not usually considered a Super-Second (like Léoville Las Caes or Poyferré), it has its eyes firmly on the prize!

Wine Advocate explains, “The 62-hectare estate, of which some 55 hectares are planted, has been directed by Gonzague Lurton since 1992 and farmed biodynamically since 2013. Soils are quaternary gravels, with a rather low percentage of clay when compared with the likes of Châteaux Margaux and Palmer. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend, delivering wines of perfume, intensity and concentration. Lurton finds that physiological maturity and analytical maturity are much more synchronized with the new farming methods, even if in a vintage such as 2018 he’s suffered, producing a mere 6,000 bottles. Recent vintages have certainly been on a qualitative roll, and today Durfort Vivens unquestionably lives up to its 1855 second growth status.”

Oh, so true in a great year like 2015. “In many ways the year that proved the Bordeaux ‘rule of fives’, 2015 produced so many good to great wines it’s hard to go far wrong.” mentions Decanter in their 2025 revisit of the wines. They continue, “The quality here is high, and most importantly, across the board, from top to bottom, up and down the Médoc and left and right of the Gironde. You can buy these wines blindly, with confidence, knowing that almost every producer has crafted something stylistically typical of the appellation and of an extremely high standard.”

Popping the cork reveals a youthful vigor of black fruit and exotic spices. But like a young Emma Stone there is a maturity and graceful power developing quietly underneath the energetic intensity. It’s beautiful, poised, enticing… and just coming into it’s prime.

Our recommendation – grab as many as you can!

One day, you’ll be telling your friends how you knew about Durfort, before it was cool.

97 Points – Wine Enthusiast “Initially firm and dry, this wine blossoms quickly with its delicious fruit and penetrating acidity. Fine tannins sustain this black-currant and berry fruit along with the complex texture and structure. Produced from biodynamic grapes, the wine has great potential. Drink from 2026.”