2018 Chateau Begadan Medoc Bordeaux 750 ml

A lot has changed in the 167 years since the Classified Growths of Bordeaux’s Médoc were crowned. 

Today, those First Growths and other cru classés make up less than 25% of the Left Bank’s vineyards. The other 75% comprises a lot of real estate—not to mention a ton of new investment, new-age viticultural and winemaking techniques and technology, and just plain modern hustle. 

Château Begadan, owned for three generations by the Salette family, is one of the “unclassified” overachievers making fresh, succulent reds at a fraction of the cost of a classified growth. That’s why it’s poured by the glass at the five-star Intercontinental Bordeaux Le Grand Hotel.

The Salettes are environmentalists who walk the walk, hand-harvesting from their Merlot and Cabernet vines—half of which are over 60 years old. In the great 2018 vintage, those vines delivered an uncommonly concentrated, fruit-driven 91-pointer. Vinous called the year “positively stunning” for the Left Bank, which Begadan calls home.

The Salette family takes the long view on sustainability. They pay great attention to preserving local ecosystems and wildlife habitats in the vineyard, and only use rainwater irrigation. Interventions are minimal, and done only when absolutely necessary. The team has even implemented some biodynamic principles, determining when to plant and prune based on the phases of the moon.

Thanks to hot and dry conditions that persisted throughout harvest in 2018, warm winds kept the grapes free of disease and allowed the Salettes to pick at their leisure, waiting for the perfect moment of ripeness. 

A perfect food wine, this full-bodied red is the perfect companion to a juicy filet mignon or a rich, braised lamb.