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This château 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! Château Badette sits surrounded by classified growths on all sides and shares borders with the legendary Château 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 château to its former glory. Armed with an uncapped budget and unshakeable determination, he's completely renovated both the vineyards and château 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, Château 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).

A blend of 67% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Château Badette is powerful, opulent, and complex. Aromas of ripe black cherries, blackberries, and dark chocolate are layered with smoked tobacco, graphite, and licorice. The palate is full-bodied and structured, with silky yet chewy tannins and a backbone of fresh acidity, leading to a long, concentrated finish.

The inky-hued 2022 Château Badette checks in as a blend of 67% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot raised in two-thirds new oak. It has a powerful, concentrated, full-bodied style as well as beautiful aromatics of ripe black cherries, blackberries, smoked tobacco, graphite, and crushed stone. I love its overall balance. It's a more modern styled yet still mineral-driven Saint-Emilion that will take 5-7 years to shed its baby fat and evolve gracefully over the following two decades. ~95 Jeb Dunnuck

Oaky in the nose, so allow it some air, or time in the decanter before all of its richly textured, luscious fruits on the palate provide their layers of chocolatey plums. licorice, and black cherries on the mid-palate and finish. Yes, the wine is rich, corpulent, and hedonistic, but it is also fresh, creamy, and long. Drink from 2026-2045. ~94 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

A very good St.-Emilion with dark cherries, fine wood spices, cedar, black truffles and chocolate. Opulent, concentrated and intense, but it’s still quite well balanced and juicy, with a full body and a wealth of dusty tannins that soften at the end. Closely knit and long. 15.5% alcohol, but you barely feel the heat. A well-made, hedonistic St.-Emilion for sure. Drink after 2026. ~93 James Suckling

The 2022 Badette is a powerful, opulent wine. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, new leather and licorice are all pushed forward. This sumptuous, flamboyant Saint-Émilion is very showy. ~93 Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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