Good, ready-to-drink Bordeaux at a reasonable price is a pretty rare bird, so when one comes along I not only take notice, I like to spread the word, too.
Such a find is this week’s Wine of the Week, the Château Clarke 2005 ($30).
First mentioned in the Middle Ages as belonging to a monastery, as most vineyards were in those days, the current property was bought by Irishman Tobie Clarke in 1818. After several changes in ownership, by 1971 it had fallen into terrible condition and was eventually bought by the late Baron Edmond A. de Rothschild, a banker who was also an investor in Château Lafite, the premier cru vineyard owned by the Rothschild family since the 19th century.
Four decades later, after the investment of a lot of time, effort, and, of course, a great deal of money, the property is now producing lovely wine at a very decent price, at least by Bordeaux standards. Its appellation, Listrac-Medoc, is nestled between two more famous neighbors—St-Julien to the north and Margaux to the south. It was formally regarded as a source of unremarkable wine and therefore did not warrant much care or effort. However, as the price of Bordeaux has soared in recent decades, that has changed and there has been a marked improvement in quality to the point where it now produces if not stellar wines, then at least ones that fare well in the quality/price calculation.
Unusual for a Left Bank Bordeaux, merlot is the dominant grape in the blend (70 percent to cabernet sauvignon’s 30 percent) but there’s nothing flabby or wimpy about this grown-up wine—its rock-solid structure supports layers of luscious dark fruit flavors tricked out with intricate ribbons of smoke and spice.
Château Clarke is now run by Baron Edmond’s son, Benjamin, and his wife, Ariane, so it seems Château Clarke’s future is in good hands and it is a property to enjoy today and watch tomorrow.
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Nick Passmore is an independent wine writer and consultant based in New York. For five years he contributed a widely read monthly wine column to Forbes.com, in addition to which his work has appeared in such publications as Forbes, Discover, Town & Country, the Robb Report, the Wine Enthusiast, Saveur, Sky, and Golf Connoisseur. He is currently Artisanal Editor for Four Seasons magazine and contributes a twice monthly column to BusinessWeek.com. He is also a judge at the annual Critics' Challenge wine competition.
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