"Hidden Little Gem": 2018 Chateau Noaillac Cru Bourgeois Superieur Medoc
Imagine coming across property in the Médoc that once produced excellent wines but had been abandoned. How tempted would you be to bring those soils back to their former glory? In the early 1980s, the Pages family (who also owns Château La Tour de By) did come across a property just like that in the Médoc, bought it, and opened Château Noaillac in 1983.
The Château produces excellent wines like today’s offer, the 93 point 2018 Château Noaillac Cru Bourgeois Superieur Medoc. This wine is fromone of the best Bordeaux vintages in 100 years. James Suckling called it an "exceptional vintage" with multiple critics from different outlets awarding it with a 96-point vintage score or higher! (Jeb Dunnuck 98, Wine Enthusiast 98, Vinous Media 96, Wine Spectator 96, and Wine Advocate 96).
2018 was a good year for Château Noaillac. In addition to bringing in an excellent vintage, it was awardedCru Bourgeois Superieur, a title given to top Châteaux. It’s now just one of 56 Châteaux with that title that is awarded based on viticultural practices, environmental awareness, barrel aging regiment, and a blind tasting of the 5 most recent vintages.
Obviously, the 2018 vintage wasn’t one of the wines tasted when the Château earned the title, but there’s no doubt its quality is the same as the wines that were. Actually, coming from the exceptional 2018 vintage, its quality is superior to those well-made wines. Jeb Dunnuck called it “a hidden little gem of a Médoc that should keep for 8-10 years in cold cellars.”
We agree, it is a gem of a wine. Ablend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, this Bordeaux iselegant and complex with aromas of dark fruits, bergamot, and tobacco. On the palate, the dark fruits shine, plus there’s violet, spice, and just a little cocoa. Anincredibly balanced wine, and one that will shine for years to come.
When it comes to wines that drink way above their price, this one would be hard to beat. It’sunder $20! From any vintage, that would be a crazy bargain, but from the 2018 vintage? It’s almost too good to be true. But that’s what we love to do around here at BHW— seek out the best wine there is at the best prices out there.
