Chateau des Bachelards Comtesse de Vazeilles Saint-Amour 2019

CHATEAU DES BACHELARDS is certainly the very top Beaujolais Chateau in the game right now. With consistent scores and critical praise rarely achieved by even Grand Cru Burgundy houses, this tops my list of wines every wine lover should know (and collect!). 94-point Beaujolais is a rare thing in the wild, and we are proud to be the only shop in the USA to have this!

Created by the Benedictine monks of Cluny around the year 1100, Château des Bachelards’ vineyards have been long revered by locals, sommeliers, and wine critics alike. Run by the Platet family for over 200 years, from 1793-2007, the estate is now managed by Alexandra de Vazeilles. Alexandra, the Comtesse de Vazeilles, who trained at Chateau Latour and Domaine Roulot before taking on the domaine, has even surpassed the rigorous farming traditions upheld by both the Benedictine monks and the Platets, implementing organic and biodynamic techniques on top of next-level additions like agroforestry in the vines, a permaculture vegetable garden, sheep for weed control and fertilization, naturally occurring bees, herbal medicine, horse-drawn soil cultivation, and more.

Not only is the only Beaujolais Chateau with organic and biodynamic certifications across holdings in Fleurie, Moulin-à-vent, and Saint-Amour… their top-notch farming is just the beginning! Throw in some sage winemaking advice from Stephane Derenoncourt – described by Decanter as "...one of the world's most sought-after consultants", and you have a recipe for something truly special!

This estate is widely considered to be making the best wines in its long and illustrious history, and let me tell you, as a team with decades of experience in food and wine, this wine is a revelation. Pinot-ish in weight, but SO much more. Delightfully floral, fruit-packed, spicy, and utterly wonderful to drink. Peonies and lavender, raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry tea, with roasted herbs, mineral earth, and white pepper and Szechuan peppercorns on the finish – this is a layered and dynamic wine with a seamless velvety texture, and plenty of structure to age. A coveted sommelier staple for years, we discovered it in Paris some time back (at Le Meurice, no less) and we made a deal to bring this beauty back to the States for the first time ever with the 2016 vintage. 60-110+-year-old vines that consistently make the top-rated gamays of the region every single year. If you love the elegance and complexity of Burgundy, with the spice and persistence of Northern Rhone, this is something you need to try. Happy exploring, friends!

PAIRING IDEAS: This really can’t be beaten...a bottle of this and a simple, juicy, crispy, and delicious roasted whole chicken. Dry and salt the skin really well, start off in a hot 475 oven, get some color, and drop the oven to 325 to finish. Serve with whatever veggies are in season, and a nice crusty baguette to mop up the juices as you go!