Mission Codename 123
HEAT ADVISORY: If you are in a state where Temperature Controlled Shipping is an option, it is HIGHLY recommended along with Ice Packs. If you are in a state closer to CA where Temperature Controlled Shipping is not required, Ice Packs are highly recommended.
“From a small 3ha estate in the heart of Saint-Émilion comes this stony, characterful and balanced Grand Cru.” – Decanter, on the 2015
Greetings from the Right Bank!
Agents Noir and Vine are in Bordeaux this week, hunting down more of those hidden secrets you love.
Speaking of… how does 123 years sound to you?
That’s how long Pontet Plaisance has been around.
Among youngster garagiste gems dotted across the bucolic hills of Saint-Émilion, that’s very impressive.
Oh, and did we say this is a Grand Cru for 28 bucks?: From the mind-blowing 2019 vintage? Have you checked out with at least one case yet?
This is your ultimate guilt-free summertime Bordeaux, like that swimsuit you look amazeballs in.
Not to brag, but you’re looking at a Wine Spies EXCLUSIVE. As in you won’t find this wine anywhere else, we cherrypicked it with utmost scrutiny, having tasted dozens that were NOT THIS YUMMY.
What we have here is a racy and truly fine wine, with beautiful, polished tannins that run its full length. It being medium bodied emphasizes how energetic the fruit core is. Aromas include an intriguing lavender note along with wild strawberries, raspberries, and black cherries that continue roaring across the broad palate, with hints of nutmeg echoing on the long, vanilla-laced, oak-embraced finish. Hard to resist good!
Hailing from an epic vintage helps, that’s for sure. According to Bordeaux expert Jeff Leve of The Wine Cellar Insider “2019 Saint-Émilion is just about as close to a picture-perfect vintage as you can get for the appellation, especially when you consider the massive size of the region and the diverse array of vineyards and terroirs. 2019 St. Emilion produced outstanding wines just about everywhere, on the slopes with its deep limestone as well as in the clay, gravel, and even the sandy soils. The wines as you can see from my tasting notes and scores below should make any lover of the Right Bank feel giddy due to the embarrassment of riches in all the great wines available today.”
What impressed us most though, is the VALUE here, as it drinks like any other rock star, like those priced 6 to 10 times what this one will cost you. A song. While it plays.
What the Winery Says
2019 St.-Émilion Grand Cru
- Winemaker
- Jean-Claude Arnaud
- Varietals
- 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
- Vintage
- 2019
- Alcohol
- 14%
- Appellation
- Saint-Émilion, Libourne
- Vineyard size
- Less than 3 hectares
- First planted
- 1900
- Average vine age
- 50+ years old
- Aging
- 18 months
- Barrels
- 100% new French oak