On Sale: $39.94 (was: $54.94)*
It’s a full time job trying to find magnums of well made, classically styled Bordeaux that don’t cost many hundreds of dollars, but when our buyers nail it, well, they really nail it! Bel-Orme Tronquoy de Lalande is part of that incredibly elusive class of cru bourgeois that seems to fly under the radar. After all, if it’s not a classified growth from a top name, who cares? Well if you love Bordeaux for it’s reliable ability to age, and flexibility at the dinner table, you should absolutely care, especially when a magnum of Bel-Orme’s “elegant” 2016 is available here for under $40, easily the best pound for pound price for the outstanding 2016 vintage.
The Haut-Medoc is home to some of our favorite insider secrets, with the ideal terroir for Cabernet and Merlot (Bel Orme sits just over the border of St Estephe and neighbors fellow perennial value Sociando-Mallet). When you get down into the details, Bel-Orme is one of the area’s most reliable overachievers, especially in vintages like 2016. There’s arguably been no better year for the left bank since 2010, and Vinous’ Neal Martin declared it a “fantastic, sublime and at times entrancing vintage.” This is the kind of year that we go big on under the radar cru bourgeois like Bel-Orme, as they are dollar for dollar some of the best buys in Bordeaux. Put that in a magnum and you can elevate this reliable ‘weeknight’ Bordeaux into a truly special experience!
92 points, James Suckling: "An elegant Haut-Médoc with a sleek body, rather fine tannins and attractive, redcurrant and herb character. The long, moderately dry finish suggests good aging potential. Drink or hold."
*Offer publication date August 23, 2021. Pricing and availability subject to change.