Goodness gracious, Chateau Vilatte's Bordeaux Superieur drinks as well as or better than a lot of Saint-Emilions.
A ripe, rich, and ravishing Merlot-led blend from Southern Bordeaux, it honestly possesses virtues typically reserved for $50+ Bordeauxs. The 'En Fut' denotes that this wine sees time in barrel, as fut de chene is the French term for an oak barrel.
I wish there was more than 84 bottles to offer, but not much makes it to the US. I would highly recommend getting your order in early if you want to get any of this one....
2018 Chateau Vilatte Bordeaux Superieur 'En Fut'
ORDER NOW in our online store.
There is a ton of land under vine in Bordeaux, and if you look hard enough, you'll find some outstanding values. When importer Mike Tiano presented this one to me last week, I really had to keep my poker face on. I'm not exaggerating you all, this truly looks, smells, and drinks like a top-flight Saint-Emilion.
Chateau Vilatte is a wonderful, certified organic, family owned and operated domaine. They take great pride in their work, and their primely situated vineyards are home to some old vines. All of the work is done by hand, and this is a truly impressive Red Bordeaux at a ridiculously low price.
A blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine sees 12-18 months of aging in French barriques (25% new). Quite deep in color, this takes a bit of coaxing to come out of its shell -- that's "cork dork" terminology that means you need to aerate this one for a good hour or two. Once it opens up though, it is downright sumptuous.
Offering up heady notes of baked plum, cassis, cedar, spice box, and dark chocolate, this full-bodied, plumply textured red is an absolute knockout of a wine. Drinking like a dream now, this will continue to drink well through 2030, perhaps even longer.
Grill steaks and decant this while you're doing so. By the time you sit down for dinner and take your first sniff and sip of this one, you'll be blown away....and wishing you bought more :)
ORDER NOW in our online store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville