Chateau La Haye Saint-Estephe 2018

97 POINTS! From one of the oldest estates on the hallowed ground of Saint-Estephe, AND crafted by arguably the top and most influential winemaker in Bordeaux today?!?! For WHAT price? Not much else can we say, besides do not miss this! 

Chateau La Haye has been planted to grape vines as far back as 1557, and passed down through a single family for over 370 years! Somehow, it has remained delightfully under the radar, but the spotlight burns ever brighter as of late. 97 POINTS – awarded BLIND by master sommeliers, masters of wine, and top industry professionals – is amazing enough, but then… give a nod to legendary winemaker Eric Boissenot and this becomes something else entirely! Decanter called him “one of the most influential figures in Bordeaux”… who just so happens to be the consulting winemaker for FOUR of Bordeaux’s First Growth Chateaus – Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, and Mouton Rothschild. UNDER $30?!? Simply unbelievable. 

This is a supremely elegant and delicately balanced Left Bank Bordeaux – where cabernet sauvignon makes up half the blend, followed by 45% merlot, and a 5% splash of petit verdot. The estate was further dubbed as “one of the appellation’s hidden gems” by Vinous...seriously the hits just keep on coming. Top it all off with the amazing growing season of 2018, and this just might be the greatest dollar-for-dollar value to come out of Bordeaux in quite some time. Floral notes of violets lead into bright red fruits like raspberries, cherries, and red currants, with accents of minty freshness, cigar box, and toasted peppercorns. The weight is medium plus, with an uplifting acidity that makes this both perfect with food, and suitable for a long cellaring! Simply a wine that has it all, and one we all (myself included) would be wise to load up with reckless abandon!