Now here’s the sort of wine the Brits drink like crazy, but we almost never do. (When’s the last time you drank a generic red Bordeaux?) In fact, the Guardian newspaper singled out this “smooth, plummy Claret” as the perfect, quintessentially British wine to drink while watching the Olympics (while snipping that “the Chinese might turn up their nose at its incredibly reasonable price”).
But very seldom are mere Bordeaux anywhere near as good (or as serious) as this. Partly, it’s the vineyard – located on clay/gravel/limestone soil…and remarkably like the best vineyards of nearby Pomerol and St. Emilion. (It has always been a leading Chateau of its region – belonging to the Dukes of Epernon since the 12th Century.) The vines are also mature and the yields extremely low for this area.
We started selling Chateau Vieux Manoir in the 2009 vintage, and have watched its steady improvement ever since. (Based on substantial investments from its importer.) The 2016 vintage was a Wine Enthusiast 90 and this 2018 is even better!
