St. Emilion is one of the most sought after addresses in all of Bordeaux, home to the picturesque town and legendary Chateaux such as Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Figeac and Pavie. It has also been the home of innovation with the rise of ‘garagiste’ wines like Valandraud, La Mondotte, La Dôme and others which rival the prices, scores (and style) of Napa. Among the three major sub-regions of St-Emilion—the Côte, the Graves and the Plateau—most of the top classified wines are on the Côte, a steep limestone slope offering the only significant elevation in all of Bordeaux. Ch. Trapaud is between Ch. Pavie, Pavie-Macquin and Valandraud on the Eastern Côte.

The current vintage for Ch. Trapaud is 2015, by my count the 4th vintage of the century in the past 20 years with three more coming along after it. It shows ripe lush Merlot fruit tempered for structure by splashes of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon. There is the distinctive spice box note from moderate French oak and a plush texture moderated by refreshing acidity. The underlying structure is balanced by the fruit with a mineral core that comes through on the finish. It’s the type of wine that will serve as a great introduction to Bordeaux for California drinkers (just don’t tell them it’s mostly Merlot) and a serious value score for Francophiles.