2018 Chateau Sanctus Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 750 ml

1990s, Bordeaux’s Right Bank: 

A group of talented upstarts, locked out of blueblood châteaux but certain they could make world-class wines, start applying their talents to little-known terroirs. Toiling in unglamorous venues, these garagistes shock the world by challenging the big boys in points… and, eventually, price. Wineries like Valandraud, Le Pin, and Le Dôme emerge as superstars.

Château Sanctus, founded in 1997, earns a reputation as “one of St. Émilion’s finest cult wines,” in the words of Robert Parker. Although in the early days, Parker himself wasn’t a huge fan. Then everything changed. 

“It’s obvious that hotshot winemaking consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt has had a profound impact on the quality of these wines,” wrote Parker. “I would strongly advise consumers to closely monitor the evolution of Sanctus, which is likely to turn out to be an important player.” 

Derenoncourt is still at the helm. The wine still hails from a sleepy nine-acre vineyard under the bell tower of St.-Christophe-des-Bardes. The château has now been snapped up by the family behind Le Pin ($4,500+) and Vieux Château Certan ($390+), and their 2018 is a flat-out gem of the garagiste world. 

Stéphane Derenoncourt has delivered three different Bordeaux estates into Wine Spectator’s Top 10, and his fingerprints are all over the 2018 Chateau Sanctus. He’s a consulting superstar, with a hand in wines from Domaine de Chevalier, Clos Fourtet, Pavie-Macquin, Canon-la-Gaffelière, and perennial 100-pointer Smith Haut Lafitte. 

He raises this 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc—grown on a nine-acre parcel peeled off of Château la Bienfaisance—in both new oak and clay amphorae for up to 18 months before bottling. Less than 1,000 cases are made for the world each year.