A bottle of Château Dutruch Grand Poujeaux might say “Moulis-en-Medoc” on the label, but taste it blind and even the most astute sommelier would call it a classified growth from the Left Bank’s big four.  At almost a decade of age, it’s a prototypical iron fist in a velvet glove and pulls off our favorite Bordeaux balancing act, with polished fruit and sumptuous structure married to soulful blood and iron depth. Of course, because it does say “Moulis” on the label, it costs a mere fraction of similarly-performing bottles from more prestigious appellations. Make no mistake: With its Cabernet core grown on deep gravel soils, its deep historical importance, and its precision winemaking, a bottle of Dutruch is grand vin in every sense of the word. Bordeaux may just be the most combed-over wine region in the wine world, so we were stunned to find this absolute cellar gem like this hiding in plain sight. This bottle’s also got “sold out in seconds” written all over it, so act fast and go deep!

Though it’s smack dab in the middle of the Left Bank, a stone’s throw from Bordeaux’s most legendary names, much of Moulis-en-Medoc makes pleasant but not profound wine. But on the Grand Poujeaux plateau, a gentle upward slope in the eastern portion of Moulis, the story is different. In this little area, the famous Garonne gravel, the same found in Margaux and Pauillac, crops up, providing the ideal terroir for growing next-level Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The gravel’s natural drainage and limited nutrient storage encourage vines to focus all of their energy on producing rich fruit rather than lush canopy. On top of that, Dutruch’s vineyards are planted at a mind-boggling density – 10,000 vines per hectare – meaning vines have to compete mightily for nutrients, which further enhances concentration. The Poujeaux plateau is where you’ll find Château Chasse-Spleen, far and away the most famous Moulis producer. In fact, Chasse-Spleen is immediately next door to Château Dutruch, and both estates produce wines of similar power and longevity.

Dutruch has a long history of producing some of the best wines in Moulis. The whole appellation was left out entirely from the original 1855 Médoc classifications. But in 1932, merchants and growers attempted to rectify some of the injustices of that original list, and devised the “Cru Bourgeois” designation for châteaux who’d garnered stellar reputations. Château Dutruch was immediately added to the register, and then upgraded to “Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel” in 1966. A year later, the estate was purchased by François Cordonnier, who oversaw the expansion of the estate from eleven to 28 hectares and further refined the winemaking. Now his nephew, also François, has taken up the torch and carries on his uncle’s half-century of ambitious labor. 

The 2016 Château Dutruch Grand Poujeaux is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. The fruit was harvested separately in multiple passes. It got destemmed, fermented in stainless steel and concrete, then aged in 30% new barrels. At eight years of age, this bottle is raring to go, pouring a deep violet with garnet highlights. The nose sings with lush blackberry, blackcurrant, purple plum and violet pastille, underlain by soul stirring cedar, pencil lead, and black pepper. Tertiary aromatics like tobacco and leather are just starting to poke through, commingling with dried tomato leaf and woodsy, herbaceous savor. The palate is dense, medium-full, the tannins just starting to soften into sultriness but also promising years of positive development in your cellar. This is Left Bank Bordeaux on a beautiful upswing. It’s something to treasure for years to come. Catching Left Bank lightning like this in a bottle is a rare opportunity indeed. Be sure to take advantage!