Château Cap Saint Georges, Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion 2015

This is the flagship wine from Jean-Philippe Janoueix' remarkable property in Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion. Made like a Grand Cru using the best of hand-made techniques, this wine expresses the rarefied terroir that its Château occupies and never obscures the fruit characteristics with too much oak, rather, allowing the structure to be supported in an over-arching richness, balanced with tannins, acid and a wonderfully generous mouthfeel. 

91 Points, James Suckling, "Rich, dark berries and plums on the nose, in an attractive, fresh mode. The palate has a very focussed, fresh and linear feel. Good depth. Drink or hold."

The wine comes from a 19-hectare, south-facing vineyard that is made up of chalk and clay. Comprised of 84% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc, with the average vine-age of 33 years old, they are planted with serious intensity at a rate of up to 6600 plants per hectare. 

The winemaking is careful and sensible - the grapes are crushed (gently) and then put straight into vats without pressing. This allows for a better integration of flavours to develop during the fermentation; the ageing is carried out in a wide variety of oak barrels with 50% new and 50% one year old. 

It is Saint Émilion, but from outside the Grand Cru parts, in the subzone of Saint-Georges. This gives us, and you, a huge benefit when it comes to the price:quality ratio as the glass ceiling means the even the very best wines from Saint Georges (and Jean-Philippe makes them!) are limited to about forty quid or so. It's unfair on him but superb news for fans of really good wine. Situated at the north of Saint Émilion, to the east of Pomerol and just south of Lalande de Pomerol, Saint-Georges has really very smart neighbours and shares many of the local qualities. It is something of a secret, with only 190 hectares for the entire appellation, shared among only 20 producers. Saint-Georges Saint-Emilion is, geologically and geographically speaking, right next to the most famous plateau of the right bank.

This is Grand Cru in all but legality. It is spectacular wine from a stunning vintage, in perfect condition, for an absolute snip.

Plus, the labelling is spectacular.

Jean-Philippe is the fourth generation of the Janoueix family to be in the wine business. The family originated from the region of Correze to the east of Bordeaux and Bergerac and just south of the oak forests of Limoges, famed for their barrel-making timber. 

Jean Janoueix established a wine business in Bordeaux in 1867 and his son, Joseph, was the instigator of the plan to buy their own grapes, which then became vineyards and then properties, with Château La Croix Saint Georges and Château la Croix in Pomerol and Saint Emilion respectively in the 1930s. His son Jean-François was to continue this growth with significant purchases during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. our man Jean-Philippe joined his father in 1994 with his first vintage, and his own plans, purchasing Chatea Chambrun in Lalande de Pomerol. he turned this property into the benchmark for quality in Lalande before selling it in 2007. This interestingly seems to be a very normal practice of trading, investing and re-investing in properties to renew and replenish ones portfolio. Not quite the world in which we live, but that's ok too...