Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carménère

Food pairings: Lamb, beef, game, poultry, barbecue, flavorful dishes with character, and cheeses.

Winemaking: The 2022 was the first vintage of Château Boutisse as a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. It was a historically dry, warm year that gave small, concentrated berries. The grapes are picked by hand and sorted, then fermented plot by plot in small, squat, temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats designed for gentle, precise extraction, with split pump-overs and a maceration of about four weeks. Part of the crop is fermented directly in 500-liter barrels, with punch-downs by hand or by rotating the barrels. Underground concrete tanks let the wine run off by gravity. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, and the wine ages for about 16 months in French oak barrels, roughly 30% new. Since 2020 amphorae have also been used for part of the aging. Derenoncourt Consultants advise on the winemaking.

Vineyards and terroir: The vineyard lies in a single block in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, on the clay and limestone plateau that the greatest Saint-Émilion growths share, with red and brown clays over asteria limestone. Its name comes from the "boutisse", a cut limestone block used in building, and centuries of quarrying left their mark on the estate's buildings and on the limestone beneath the vines. The estate uses no herbicides, keeps grass between the rows and removes leaves and thins the crop by hand. It has been certified HVE level 3 since 2018 and began converting to organic farming in 2020.

Family and history: The Milhade family's story began in 1938, when Damase Milhade settled at Château Recougne near Galgon to grow, make and sell his own wine. His son Jean joined in 1947 and grew the family's vineyards across the Libournais. Xavier Milhade bought Château Boutisse in 1996, and it has become the family's "haute couture" estate. His son Marc has run it since 2005 and lives on the property with his wife Aurore and their three children. His sister Elodie joined in 2010 to lead sales. Years of work in the vineyard and cellar were rewarded in 2022, when Boutisse was promoted to Grand Cru Classé.

In the pictures: Autumn vines and the village church of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, the commune where Château Boutisse lies (photo: DimiTalen, 2004, CC0 public domain).