The first vintage for this garage operation, the 1995 comes from a tiny parcel of 100% Merlot that saw malolactic fermentation in barrel and 18 months in new French oak prior to bottling. It's one of the original garagiste wines, and now at age 26, it's fully mature, revealing a healthy ruby hue as well as sumptuous black cherry and currant fruits supported by complex notes of truffle, white flowers, chocolate, and loamy earth. These carry to a medium to full-bodied wine with a rich, layered mouthfeel, the classic freshness and acidity that's imparted by these limestone soils, sweet tannins, and a beautiful finish. A wine that started out angular and acidic, it gained beautiful richness and depth with a little over an hour in the decanter. It’s unquestionably fully mature, yet I have no doubt that well-stored bottles will still be drinking brilliantly in another 10, 15, possibly 20 years.

This small 6.2-acre vineyard owned by the Becot family of St.-Emilion is being groomed as the next Le Pin. Made from yields of two tons of fruit per acre (very low by Bordeaux standards) the debut 1995 vintage is a 100% Merlot wine aged in 100% new oak casks. Malolactic fermentation is done in new oak and the wine is expected to be bottled without any intervention. It is a deep purple-colored wine with an unctuous texture opulent ripe sweet black-cherry fruit outstanding concentration low acidity and a forward lush exotic appeal. No it is not Le Pin but it is an impressive gorgeously rich pure wine that will turn on a lot of tasters. It will drink well for 10-12 years.