Château La Plaige
             Bordeaux Supèrieur, 2020
            $17.49/bottle – $188.89/case

Wine of the Month November 2024

We featured the 2019 Château La Plaige in August of 2023. As wonderful as that wine was, this new vintage is a noticeable step up in depth and balance. It’s a heck of a value!

The large Bordeaux region includes the confluence of two river systems. The southern Garonne River drains Graves and Sauternes. The northern Dordogne River drains Fronsac, St.-Emilion, and parts further upriver. One of these is Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux where Chateau La Plaige sits on a hillside overlooking the Dordogne at the very eastern edge of the Bordeaux appellation.

Clay and limestone soils, as well as the cooler temperatures upriver, make it perfect for growing Merlot, and this wine is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet. The estate has been in the Naud family for five generations. Frédéric and Lise Naud have been managing it since 2000.

The wine gets a traditional warm fermentation in stainless steel vats, which preserves the primary fruit aromas of wild berries. It is then aged in concrete vats for 18 months, allowing the tannins to soften while retaining the fruit. The wine is bold and youthful, with just enough tannic structure. Rich and relatively silky, it tastes like a more expensive Bordeaux and will provide good drinking through 2026 or even later. Perfect for grilled or roasted beef or lamb.