Fashioned from miniscule yields of just 9.6hl/ha, (one small glass of wine per vine) with 20% of a normal harvest, the 2018 Château Marsau is a real rarity and the wine is unquestionably spectacular. The nose is clean and focused, with red fruit and wild flowers flowing from the glass, while the palate has extravagant, silky tannins, a core of fruit, and a long, mineral finish. This wouldn’t look out of place with the greatest of Pomerol, an extraordinary Marsau.

2018 Chateau Marsau Cotes de Francs Bordeaux. 3 bottles per pack. Ronan Bouroullec Artist Edition. 94 Points JS
“Beautifully pure cherry, berry, black-olive and lightly toasted coffee-bean aromas follow through to a full body with a lovely center palate and purity of fruit. Lots of fine tannins. Balanced and poised. Wonderful depth. Tiny production – only 20% of the normal production. Pure merlot. From organically grown grapes. Needs two or three years to come around. Try after 2022.”

A little about Ronan Bouroullec: Perhaps the world’s most renowned industrial designer, Ronan has built a long and successful career and is justifiably one of the biggest names in French design. Since 1998 Ronan Bouroullec has collaborated with his brother Erwan, designing furniture, lighting, glass objects, textiles, and much more for a variety of internationally recognized brands. The works of Bouroullec have been acquired to permanent collections of several museums, and their work can be admired, for example, at Centre Pompidou and Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, at MoMa in New York and at the Design Museum in London.

Chateau Marsau is a 24-acre jewel that has been called by Robert Parker “The Petrus of the Cotes de Francs” due to its exceptional terroir. Situated on south facing slope at the highest point of the appellation, the vineyard is planted to 100% Merlot in black soil. The vineyard’s modest surface demands unparalleled attention during the growing season. Rigorous pruning, early leaf-thinning and green harvests keeps yields low to achieve the desired level of ripeness in each plot. Ageing in French oak barrels is done in separate lots in order to preserve the identity of each plot with the final blend happening after 12 months.