2020 Clos Albertus Saint-Georges Saint-Emilion 750 ml

Clos Albertus practically resets the bar for hidden gems from Bordeaux. The absolutely miniscule estate of less than four acres has been leading the way for the criminally overlooked Saint-George Saint-Émilion appellation, and in the fantastic 2020 vintage, they earned a bombshell 95-point score from former Wine Advocate head honcho Lisa Perrotti-Brown, who called it “a real find” and “a very impressive showing!”

Clos Albertus leads the Saint-Élites, an association of eight wineries—really more of an exclusive club—all of whom are found in the “satellite” appellations of Saint-Émilion. But unlike most of their immediate neighbors, their goal isn’t to produce budget bottles for bistro house wine. They want to challenge the best of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, changing the perception of their regions in the process. 

The tiny estate is the great big shining star of Saint-George Saint-Émilion, the smallest of the Saint-Émilion satellites. At just 1.5 hectares—less than four acres—they only produce a miniscule number of bottles. But their terroir is special: Clos Albertus is blessed with plenty of crasse de fer, an iron-rich, sandy clay soil that’s found in some of the most coveted parts of Pomerol, and is credited by many winemakers to be a key to the signature minerality of the appellation’s best wines.

That exceptional terroir is planted with unusually high amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc for a Right Bank château. It’s farmed to the standards of HVE (high environmental value) certification, and in the 2020 vintage, the estate was treated to a warm season that Wine Advocate declared “produced brilliant wines” with plush fruit and silky tannins. The result is one of the great hidden gems in France.