1998 Château Le Puy Cuvee Emilien

Château Le Puy is the Gironde region, on the same plateau as Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. The estate has been in the Amoreau family, passed from one generation to the next, since 1610. Its 125 acres of vineyards are planted to 85% Merlot, with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Carmenere. Farming is done strictly according to organic and biodynamic principles, and the estate makes a variety of wines, including Merlot-based Bordeaux blends, dry white wines, white dessert wines and a rosé.

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.