2016 Chateau de Parenchere Bordeaux Superieur Rouge 750 ml

One glass was all it took to convince us that the 2016 Château de Parenchère is a superb Bordeaux performing way above its price grade, and a value we’d be crazy to walk away from.

Vibrant crimson-ruby in hue, it filled our glasses with a ripe bouquet of black plum, blackberry, and damp earth, suffused around the edges with cigar box and Madagascar vanilla. Completely classic in style, it’s a wine you’d instantly categorize as a cru classé without looking at the label.

James Suckling had the same reaction, calling it “a deep and rich red” with a “delicious finish” in a 92-point review. Wine Enthusiast concurred, awarding Best Buy honors. At $19 per bottle, if this silky, fine-grained 2016 isn’t one of the sharpest buys in Bordeaux, we don’t know what is.

When we were younger, a trusted mentor gave us some advice on Bordeaux buying that we’ve never forgotten since. When you find a great-drinking Bordeaux at a good value, he said, buy a case and consume it over the course of a month or two. By the end, you’ll not only have an intimate knowledge of the wine and house style, you’ll be in a far better position to evaluate other vintages and estates, knowing which suits you best.

At this price, the 2016 Parenchère is a perfect candidate for such a purchase, an estate called “a perennial overachiever” by Robert Parker. Located in the eastern extreme of Bordeaux by Bergerac, the foundations of the property date back to 1570. Raphaël Gazaniol took over in 1958 and renovated the vineyards, which now comprise 156 acres, planted mainly to Merlot and Cabernet with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

The 2016 fully showcases the merits of this pedigreed terroir, which year after year produces serious wines of top value. Benefiting from a warmer microclimate and more sun than westerly neighbors, the wine builds from a base of well-structured concentration. A commitment to low yields and sustainable agriculture under Per Landin, the majority shareholder of the estate, plumps up the intensity and complexity, particularly expressed in this vintage’s ripe red fruit and cassis notes.  

To account for the diversity of soils, lots are vinified separately before maturing in cement vats. Blended to achieve the same style in each year—a little savory, with a dose of old school Bordeaux firmness—we’ll be taking our own advice and stocking up on a case to enjoy at home.