Domaine du Jaugaret, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vin de France (Saint Julien) Bordeaux, France 2018

A perfect wine in the purity of its expression of its terroir. Every wine should be this “correct”. In the background there is an enchanting herbal, weedy, tobacco rich flavor and bouquet. The tannins are bright yet with a pleasant grip.

The estate of Domaine du Jaugaret has been in the Fillastre family since 1654. Jean-François Fillastre, the current proprietor, is dedicated to preserving the traditions not only of Jaugaret but of the St. Julien appellation. Here is an estate where one finds neither pretense nor hubris, just the essence of the appellation.

Monsieur Fillastre harvests his “field blend” usually in one or two days. The grapes are placed into a small press and are crushed manually. The cuvaison is long, frequently extending three weeks or more. The wine is then racked into small barrels (only a minor percentage of which are new) to complete the malolactic fermentation and then are left to age in a small, damp underground cellar with minimal racking for approximately thirty months. The wines are never filtered before bottling. The wines of Jaugaret, relying so extensively on Cabernet, are built to last.

Jaugaret encompasses a mere 1.3 hectares of vineyards, made up almost exclusively of Cabernet Sauvignon with some Petit Verdot and Malbec to supplement this classic Médoc structure. The average age of the vines is over 60 years and some of the Malbec vineyards are in excess of 100 years old. This combination of grape varieties permits Jaugaret to find the ultimate expression of the terroir of Saint Julien, taking advantage of the deep gravel beds and the long growing season that mark St. Julien as a unique and special appellation. The old vines of Jaugaret combined with the unfertile, gravelly soils results in naturally low yields which again provide the wines with a concentration virtually unequalled in Saint Julien.