2019 Chateau Godard Francs Cotes de Bordeaux 750 ml

Few under-$25 Bordeaux reds have received such an immediate consensus from our tasting team. And fewer still have prompted VP of Wine Eduardo Dingler to blurt out: “Whoa, this is a lot of wine for the money!” The 2019 Château Godard did both. 

St.-Émilion-reminiscent terroir, 45-year-old vines, an excellent vintage, and just about as much richness as you can pack into such an affordable bottle: This scarce 2019 is a lot of wine for the money indeed. 

Savvy locals know it, and we do too: The Francs-Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, called “a tiny jewel” by Wine Enthusiast, is a veritable gold mine for value. Yet even in this price-to-quality haven, Godard stands out. Decanter has named their wine a “Best Value Bordeaux,” not just in the Côtes de Bordeaux, but in the entire region. It stands alongside Médoc and St.-Émilion Grand Cru wines that cost twice as much.   

Bottles like Godard’s 2019 illustrate why some of Bordeaux’s biggest names—like the Thienponts (Vieux Château Certan) and Henri de Boüard (Château Angélus)—have made significant investments in the region. Yet because Francs hasn’t spent decades under the wine world’s price-skyrocketing spotlight, deals like this can still be had... for now. 

From organically farmed clay-limestone soils similar to the ones that produce triple-digit-priced bottles in neighboring St.-Émilion, this outstanding red is bold, opulent, and bears a price you’d never see on this wine if it came from its famous neighboring appellation. 

That’s why it’s nearly impossible to find this wine outside of the estate itself, especially in the US. When locals spy pristine terroir and satiny richness at a price like this, especially from a year that Wine Advocate called “outstanding,” they know better than to let it out of their sights and cellars. 

Pouring a deep ruby-purple, the aromatics seem to dance around the glass, as snappy red plums mingle with cocoa powder, hints of rosemary, juicy-ripe black cherries, and a hint of tobacco. On the palate, this boasts a combination of phenomenal richness and energy and coats the mouth with rich fruit and velvety, structured tannins.

The tiny Francs-Côtes de Bordeaux appellation has some of the highest elevations in Bordeaux—allowing for long hang-times and ideal ripeness in its Merlot and Cabernet Franc—and it’s affordable enough that visionaries like Godard’s Carine and Franck Richard can afford to push the envelope in the vineyard and winery. 

Château Godard’s modern era began in 1998, when Carine inherited the property from her father. She and Franck have improved the estate by making time-consuming, expensive changes in the name of higher quality. They’ve converted to organic, and now biodynamic farming—uncommon in Bordeaux, except at pricey chateaux like Latour, Margaux, and Pontet-Canet—and the results are remarkable.

Their vineyards teem with life, a miniature ecosystem anchored by grazing animals for weed control and beehives for pollination, which allows their old vines to thrive. Those vines dig deep into the limestone-heavy soils, bestowing the wine with purity, drive, and intensity. Fermentations are all done with native yeasts, and no new oak is used in the aging of the wine. It’s all done with an emphasis on letting the essence of the site speak for itself.