2022 Chateau Badette Saint Emilion Grand Cru

This chateau has been crushing it since the 1800s! Back in 1898, Edouard Féret wrote that Badette had "always been classed at the top of the second growths of Saint-Emilion," producing "delicate, soft, perfumed wine, perfectly preserved." Fast-forward over a century, and those same glowing words still ring true today!

Talk about prime real estate! Chateau Badette sits surrounded by classified growths on all sides and shares borders with the legendary Chateau Figeac and Troplong Mondot. This is the wine world's equivalent of living in Beverly Hills!

Enter the game-changer: Marc-Andre Vandenbogaerde, the Belgian-born visionary who's on a mission to restore this chateau to its former glory. Armed with an uncapped budget and unshakeable determination, he's completely renovated both the vineyards and chateau from the ground up.

"Badette is surrounded by classified growths on all sides. I want the wine to express the terroir. With power, but also with elegance, finesse," declares Marc-Andre. His philosophy? "Start from zero and build, that's what I like... Start with nothing and end up doing the best possible, that is my objective."

Mission accomplished! In 2022, Chateau Badette was newly elevated to Grand Cru Classé status - the ultimate recognition of excellence!

The 2022 vintage is absolutely spectacular: crafted from 67% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, this deeply inky-hued masterpiece explodes with ripe black cherries, blackberries, and dark chocolate, beautifully accented by graphite, smoked tobacco, and crushed stone.

This is a wine built for the long haul: its complex, hedonistic profile makes it perfect for long-term aging, reaching peak perfection from 2026 through 2045.

Wine Spectator went wild with 97 points, declaring these wines "very aromatic and expressive... A beautiful vintage." When the critics are this excited, you know you're holding something truly extraordinary!

Aging: 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new, 30% one-year-old).