Château Belle Assise Coureau 2016 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

I was in the mood for a luscious and aromatic Right Bank Bordeaux to cozy up with. Now some of you are probably thinking - are you sure you should open that wine? Isn’t it too young? Well in fact this particular wine isn’t. Relatively new to the scene winemaker Paul Junet made this wine ready to drink after 5-6 years in the bottle but could stand to age a few more years.

Château Belle Assise Coureau 2016 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

What do you get when you put a group of friends together (an ex-F1 racing driver (Jean Pierre Beltoise), a Parisian lawyer (Alain Garitey), a sustainable Saint Emillion estate owner (Lionel Gallais) and native Saint Emillion winemaker together ) you get get good times and even better wines. Farmed sustainably, the 15 hectares of sandy and gravel slopped terroir is in the southern area of Saint Emillion are creating wines to express the full potential of the terroir. These 35 year old vines and aged in 6 different types of barrels from new oak to neutral.

Inky red currant color with heaps of sweet ripe berries, cedar, bramble, bell pepper,  and spice (65% Merlot & 35% Cab Franc). Say hello to ripe raspberry, black cherry, tobacco leaf, black plum, dried flowers, earthy and licorice and sandalwood ending on a cocoa powder. The chewy tannins help balance the alcohol (14.5%) and reinforced by the solid acidity thanks to the 6 months various aged oak barrels.  It’s a medium-bodied seductive style that’s just impossible to resist, it has class - the first sip of wine put a smile on my face instantly.

This is such a terrific value across the board. Its ready to drink now

Grilled tomahawk ribeye or rosemary lamb chops