2016 Domaine de Baronarques Limoux Red Languedoc 750 ml

The 2016 is one of the top reds ever from the Rothschilds’ magnificent Domaine de Baronarques in Limoux. It will thrive in the cellar for the rest of the decade—but good luck keeping your hands off it now. 

The Rothschild clan has an unparalleled reputation for quality, so it speaks volumes that they set their sights on Domaine de Baronarques in Limoux, where the soil consists of clay and limestone, with deposits of gravel and sand—perfect for producing a Right Bank-style wine. Compared to the rest of the roasting Languedoc, Baronarques is high and cool, which makes it an excellent environment for slow and graceful ripening. So once they took hold of the estate in 1998, their first order of business was to…make no wine.

Instead, they assembled an A-team from Mouton and Opus One, and dedicated five years to bringing the estate up to the family’s level of excellence. They planted Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, and implemented world-class viticultural practices. They also installed a new state-of-the-art cellar, and in 2003, Baronarques made the first wine of this new era. From the beginning, the wine was stellar. 

In 2016, it reached a whole new level: The season was outstanding in the South of France, and it shows in Baronarques’ Grand Vin. Consisting of 54% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec, it’s aged for a year in French oak, 25% of it new. Now with some bottle age, the blend is seamless, showing off ripe fruit, a sturdy frame, and beautifully integrating velvety tannins.