Mission Codename Château Secrète
Can you keep a secret?
Kidding, actually. The secret has been out since we offered this in August and got inundated with requests for more. An obvious result given the pedigree, price, and quality here.
To review, we have a…
95 pointer described as “alluring” and “seductive” by Decanter.
Location? Can’t be better - Its immediate neighbors’ 2012 vintage wines - namely Léoville Barton, Gruaud Larose, and Beychevelle can be found in the $120-150 per bottle range these days. In Bordeaux, you could find this for $95. check!
Scores? A trio of 92-95-ers - **check! **
Provenance? Perfect - check!
Our price? Flat out wonky. On Wine Spies, it’s $43. That’s nearly 60% OFF a 95-pointer Saint-Julien. Here today, gone tomorrow.
VERY FEW insiders’ wines remain in the stateliest of all French regions, but we just found one, and imported it for you direct from the Château! This exclusive is very special because it hails from a tiny property smack in the middle of primetime Saint-Julien properties.
OH and wait. How about almost a decade of bottle age never having left the Château until the cases landed stateside? Check, check, and check!
It oozes into the glass with a still youthful vivid ruby, settling in with a brilliant garnet edge. At once fruity, spicy, earthy in perfume, with those peerless top-shelf Bordeaux aromatics, while it blows your mind by softly hijacking your palate, caressing it with its silky texture and depth. Seamless, long as can be, ready to please yet showing potential to keep on and on too, wow. Must go out of your way to whip up an equally complex, savory, juicy, scrumptious meal.
Make room in your stash, we brought in much as we could, doesn’t seem to be enough these days!
95 Points – Decanter
“Alluring roasted coffee bean nose, augmented by pepper and spice on the black fruits. Seductive Saint-Julien texture, displaying finesse and evolution, with mushroom tints to the intense fruit, and a refreshing end.”
92 Points – Wine Enthusiast
“A blend from two parcels of vines, this wine comes from a vintage that always has emphasized fruit. Now ready to drink, the wine has great balance and the beginnings of secondary flavors, with hints of spice and tobacco. The wine is ready now, but will age further and could be even better from 2022.”
92 Points – International Wine Report
“The 2012 Château Les Ormes is a fantastic showing in this vintage. The Saint-Julien instantly bursts open with alluring aromas of blackberries and dark cherries which are woven together with spices, charcoal, toast, underlined by spring floral and mineral nuances. This medium-bodied red is beautifully textured, with polished tannins and a wonderful balance of fruit and acidity. The finish shows nice length, with red fruits and scorched notes lingering on. This is a complete success and drinking excellent right now.”
Tasting Profile
Blows your mind, softly hijacks the palate, caresses it
Look | Oozes into the glass with a still youthful vivid ruby, settling in with a brilliant garnet edge |
---|---|
Smell | At once fruity, spicy, earthy in perfume, with those peerless top-shelf Bordeaux aromatics |
Taste | Blows your mind by softly hijacking your palate, caressing it with its silky texture and depth |
Finish | Seamless, long as can be, ready to please yet showing potential to keep on and on too, wow |
Pairing | Must go out of your way to whip up an equally complex, savory, juicy, scrumptious meal |
What the Winery Says
2012 Saint-Julien
- Winemaker
- Diana Garcia-Gonzalez
- Varietals
- 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
- Vintage
- 2012
- Appellation
- Saint-Julien, Medoc
- Alcohol
- %14.2
- Soils
- Fine gravel on sedimentary rock
- Total planted area
- 2 hectares
- Aging
- 12 months
- Barrels
- 10% new French oak