Le Grand Chai Montagne Saint-Emilion 2016

With a cellar on the banks of the Dordogne in Castillon, our winemakers are always close by when a parcel of top fruit is up for grabs. Longtime friend Olivier Cazenave introduced us to this small Montagne estate in 2009. It lies just northeast of the beautiful cobbled town of Saint Emilion and is only separated from Saint Emilion proper by a stream, the Barbanne. Vines grown on the property's fine limestone soils produce grapes of impressive intensity, which deserved nearly a year in partly new oak barrels at Le Chai. This has lent the velvety Merlot fruit an extra layer of creamy depth with subtle oak hints. For now, open and decant an hour before serving with lamb - this wine's ideal food 'mate'. It'll continue to improve with age.