Celebrate Bastille Day with two ridiculous Bordeaux values

It's no secret that 2016 was a pretty "epic" vintage for Bordeaux. We are very pleased to have a couple amazing values in stock that are drinking just perfectly right now. Tour St. Bonnet is back by popular demand and sadly this great property no longer exists. La Garde is a real "sleeper" — located right next door to Latour-Martillac and the winery where superstar winemaker Guillaume Pothier of Carmes Haut-Brion cut his teeth!

2016 Château La Garde - Pessac

Located right next door to Latour-Martillac — and the very winery where superstar winemaker Guillaume Pothier of Carmes Haut-Brion got his start — La Garde is one of Pessac-Léognan's great sleeper values. The 2016, widely considered the best vintage the estate has ever produced, is richly textured and packed with dense black-currant fruit, its concentration braced by firm, black tannins and succulent underlying fruitiness. Deep, dark, and revealing — with black cherry, cassis, and a touch of smoky spice — this is a serious, well-structured Pessac red drinking beautifully today with room to keep improving. A 62% Merlot-based blend aged in French oak, from one of the appellation's most storied gravel plateaus.

"This wine from a large estate in the southern part of Pessac-Léognan is richly textured, packed with dense black-currant fruits. The concentration and density are enhanced by firm black tannins and succulent fruitiness."

 93 Points Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

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2016 Château Tour St. Bonnet - Medoc 

One of the great perennial QPR stories in all of Bordeaux — Robert Parker famously described this Saint-Christoly-Médoc estate as producing "a miniature Grand-Puy-Lacoste," and the 2016 received its highest score ever from the Wine Advocate. Sadly, the estate has since declared bankruptcy, making this one of the final vintages and a true collectible. Aromas of sweet blackcurrant intermingled with loamy soil, tobacco leaf, and vanilla pod; medium to full-bodied with powdery tannins and a nicely concentrated core of fruit — while the 2016 drinks well today, a bit more time in the cellar will only pay dividends. Dark, supple, and inviting — black chocolate, cherry, plum, and spice inform this juicy Merlot-based wine with a cohesive, tobacco-tinged finish. Aged 18 months in large oak foudres. An exceptional value and a fitting final chapter for a beloved estate. Drink now–2030.

"This estate in Saint-Christoly-Médoc has long produced great value, quintessentially Médoc-styled wines, and the 2016 La Tour St Bonnet has turned out especially well. Offering up aromas of sweet blackcurrant fruit intermingled with notions of loamy soil, tobacco leaf and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, with powdery tannins and a nicely concentrated core of fruit. Robert Parker once described this estate as producing a miniature Grand-Puy-Lacoste, and that observation continues to resonate with me. While the 2016 drinks well today, a bit more time in the cellar will only pay dividends."

90+ Points William Kelley, Wine Advocate