There are very few moments of the year that are more suited to drinking fine Bordeaux reds than in the chilly winter months and for the past several decades, the big name, big ticket Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux reds from the Medoc have dominated the media column inches with their hundreds of years of history and famous Chateaux names used to seduce consumers. While the wines are often exceptional in quality, their big-ticket pricing when offered En-primeur through negociants have resulted in a large number of consumers being left behind with the wrong messaging. In reality, with the influence of longer and warmer summers in recent years, the true quality of affordable Bordeaux wine has never been better, and that’s before you encounter a winemaking genius like De Mour group winemaker, Jean Michel Garcion.
The De Schepper family now owns five wine estates in Bordeaux as well as the De Mour negociant firm that is tasked with distributing the wines, more often than not, direct to international merchants and retailers. In my experience of tasting and reviewing their wines for the past decade, this is a firm that prides itself on its values, based on human expertise passed down through generations, technical mastery of all stages in the winemaking process, as well as upmarket product ranges developed via exclusive partnerships. All of the family’s estates have obtained ISOO 14001 and HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certification and Jean Michel’s focus is firmly on maintaining a constantly high quality at all price points.
I recently selected four exciting wines from the De Mour portfolio which are not represented by other Bordeaux negociants, giving De Mour total control over their own pricing, distribution methods, and sales and marketing, offering real tangible benefits to a new generation of Bordeaux consumers. The family purchased their fifth estate in 2004, Chateau Lacombe Cadiot, a handsome Bordeaux Supérieur estate located in Ludon, increasing the total area under vines to 55 hectares. After recently updating the Fine Wine Safari vertical tasting notes on their superb flagship winery, Chateau La Croizille, situated between Chateaux Troplong Mondot and Tertre Roteboeuf, and bordering on their other Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé property, Chateau Tour Baladoz, I thought I would highlight some of the other exceptional wines in their range.
Chateau Tour Baladoz 2021 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, 13.5% Abv.
I first tasted the 2021 Chateau Tour Baladoz at En-primeur time in 2022 as an unfinished barrel sample, and then again as a finished bottled wine, in September 2023 at the winery with winemaker Jean Michel Garcion. Revisiting the wine in September 2024, after another year in bottle, has benefitted the wine immeasurably. A classical right bank blend of 85% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc but with an exotic 5% sprinkling of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Carménère and Malbec, the aromatics reveal a sophisticated wine with an enticing heady perfume of pressed violets, moist tobacco leaf, blue and black berry fruits, gravel and graphite, and a piercing maritime crème de cassis intensity with a distinctive salted toffee and vanilla pod spice kiss from the 70% new French oak used for 15 months of maturation. On the palate, the wine has fleshed out and gained impressive weight since last tasted, coating the mouth with luxurious creamy fine-grained tannins, sweet black currant, black cherry, and mulberry fruits, finishing with a concentrated, hedonistic Merlot opulence. Once again, this wine shows that superior terroir combined with a striking winemaking prowess, can negate difficult vintage conditions. A very classy wine indeed, to drink on release until 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Lacombe Cadiot
The Chateau Lacombe Cadiot 2020 is another impressive Bordeaux Supérieur made by Jean Michel Garcion and is sourced from a 15-hectare vineyard bringing together a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot from vines that are on average 25 years old and grown on classic loam and clay soils in Ludon-Médoc, just down the road from the famous Chateau Cantemerle Cru Classé Haut Medoc estate. The wine was matured for 12 months after fermentation, 60% in oak barrels including 25% new oak, and the remainder was aged in vats. This is certainly a wine with a pedigree, with the previous 2019 vintage scoring 97/100 in the Decanter World Wine Awards blind tastings as well as an admirable ‘sighted’ 94/100 on A Fine Wine Safari.
Chateau Lacombe Cadiot 2020, AOC Bordeaux Supérieur, 14% Abv.
This is a striking wine that displays a dense, dark, opaque purple black colour in the glass. On the nose, this succulent Merlot laden blend offers up rich aromatics of perfumed violets, lilac, bay leaf spice, sweet blackberries, salted black liquorice and black cherry before notes of ripe black plums and freshly baked blueberry crumble. Medium to full bodied in the mouth, the palate revels in the creamy plushness and ample ripeness of the 2020 vintage, framed by a lively, accessible core of black currant fruits, black raspberries, and a sappy cinnamon spice on the finish. The tannins are sweet and rounded yet ever present, charming, and generous, adding a delicate frame to the expressive fruit concentration. A delightfully well-proportioned wine that showcases Jean Michel’s masterful winemaking experience that has, for a large part, been fine-tuned over many vintages in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Hence, the right bank similarities with this Médoc expression are no coincidence. Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Nativus 2019, AOC Bordeaux, 15.5% Abv.
This 100% Merlot red boasts a rich, heady aromatics packed with lilac, Parma violets, savoury black currants, tobacco leaf, black breakfast tea, pink musk and hints of warm blueberry crumble. There are overt notions of rich sweet oak which is incredibly well integrated into the fabric of the wine, balanced by the plush, opulent black plum and black cherry fruit concentration. Full, broad, and fleshy, the mouthfeel is comfortingly dense and creamy, revealing sweet ripe tannins and a soft caressing low acid elegance. A powerful Bordeaux red expression that offers a plush, hedonistic fruit gravitas over structured minerality and classicism. Enjoy with a nice chunk of cote de boeuf for the full fireworks! From 2024 to 2030+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Lady de Mour 2022, AOC Margaux, 12.5% Abv.
The 2022 Lady de Mour is produced from premium grapes grown in Arsac in the Margaux appellation on gravelly sand and gravel clay soils. The vines are on average 22+ years of age and planted to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. In the 2022 cuvee, the blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot that is aged for between 12 to 18 months in French oak barriques with normally a 30% new oak portion. The high-density plantings at 10,000 vines per hectare yield a wine that that is beautifully intense, floral, and perfumed, revealing notes of Parma violets, rose petals, black cherry pastille and pink musk over blue and black berry fruits, purple rock candy, and subtle notes of cherry cola. Regarded as one of the finest vintages on the left bank in almost a decade, this 2022 speaks confidently of Margaux’s textural complexity, weightless concentration, and supreme elegance, with a palate packed full of sweet crème de cassis, tart blueberries, and black cherries dusted with a salted caramel and vanilla pod spice. Undeniable seductive and fabulously harmonious, boasting an impressive fruit balance with the silkiest of tannins. This is undoubtably another masterclass in precision winemaking from Jean Michel Garcion. Drink now and over the next 6 to 8+ years.
Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines from the De Schepper family are available through their own in-house negociant, De Mour. Contact Anthony Crameri to find out more about all available labels, vintages, and ex-cellar pricing.
Contact: anthony_crameri@orange.fr