2014 Château Marsau

Château Marsau is in the small, little-known Côtes de Francs appellation east of St.-Émilion. The estate is owned and run by the Chadronnier family, which has owned the 32-acre estate for several generations. The winemaker is Anne-Laurence Chadronnier, and she makes the flagship wine Château Marsau and the second wine, Prélude. Both are 100% Merlot. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called the wines of the château “Pomerol look-alikes” that offer consistently high quality.

Côtes de Francs is the smallest of Bordeaux’s appellations and includes just three communes. Located six miles east of St.-Emilion, it is home to about 30 estates, each of which, on average, have vineyards of only about 15 acres. Côtes de Francs enjoys a terroir that is a clay plateau, much like its famous neighbor to the west, St.-Emilion. Although about 20 percent of the appellation is planted to the white wine grapes of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, the area’s strength is in red grapes, particularly Merlot. Côtes de Francs was officially recognized as an appellation in 1976, but in recent decades it has attracted innovative, often younger vignerons.