I first met Hélène Garcin-Lévêque back in 2016, during a trip to Bordeaux to taste the en primeurs. We hit it off immediately because, while we respect and admire the classic nature of the region and its historic wines, we are both interested in bringing Bordeaux into the modern age. After days and nights of rigid rules-oriented meals, formalized tasting appointments, and pedantic lectures, hanging out with Hélène at her Barde-Haut estate was like a breath of fresh air. Rather than steak and foie gras, we ate fresh salads, light appetizers, and mixed up some cocktails. In a wine genre that can be intimidating and somewhat snobbish, Hélène is friendly, easy-going, and energetic.
For many of us who have spent more than a decade in the business, Bordeaux is still the king of wines. The flavors, the history, the diversity, and the romance of classic French claret incorporates everything cool about drinking, but that being said, there are some serious challenges facing the region as it looks to win over a new generation of drinkers. Today’s budding wine fans aren’t building cellars into their basements, mainly because none of us can afford homes, let alone the rising cost of Bordeaux’s top labels. Given the uncertainty of the times, many of us have no idea where we’re going to be in ten years, so how can we be expected to wait a decade before drinking something?!
But that’s the magic of Hélène’s 2015 Barde-Haut, St. Emilion—a Merlot-based wine with six years of bottle age, that is 100% ready-to-go for tonight’s dinner, with little decanting and no additional maturation needed. Simply put, this is a banging bottle of Bordeaux that delivers the goods for the right price.
If you've been watching Sideways recently, I dare you to tell me you don't like Merlot after drinking the 2015 Barde-Haut from one of the best-drinking Right Bank vintages in recent memory. Plump, but never over the top, the fruit melds seamlessly with ample tannic structure and plenty of earth on the finish, which is why you want it in the first place: that earthiness is what makes St. Emilion so much more satisfying than even the best domestic Merlot expressions.
-David Driscoll