2011 Château Moulin Riche

Château Moulin Riche is a 50-acre Saint-Julien estate owned for the last 100 years by the Cuvelier family, the family that also owns Château Camensac and Château Leoville-Poyferre, along with other estates. During the 20th century Château Moulin Riche was considered a second wine of Château Leoville-Poyferre, even though its vineyards are distinctly different from Leoville-Poyferre, they are on a different property. But with the exceptional 2009 vintage, the Cuveliers decided to make Moulin Riche independent from Leoville-Poyferre. The labels and logos for the two wines are nearly the same to indicate they are in the same “family” of estates owned by the Cuveliers. Celebrity winemaking consultant Michel Rolland advises the winemaking at Moulin Riche as well as at Leoville-Poyferre. About 70,000 bottles are produced annually.

Saint-Julien is the smallest of the four main Médoc appellations with 2,175 acres of vineyards. It is just south of Pauillac on the left bank of the Gironde, and although it has no First Growth châteaux, its 11 Classified Growth estates are widely admired. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that winemaking in Saint-Julien from all classifications “is consistently both distinctive and brilliant.” He adds it is Médoc’s “most underrated commune.” The best-known estates are Léoville Las Cases, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Poyferré, Léoville Barton and Gruaud Larose, and most of those have riverside estates. The soil in this appellation is gravelly with clay. Cabernet Sauvignon is the main grape grown, and it is blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and sometimes small amounts of Petit Verdot.

2nd wine of Leoville Poyferre