Laguna Cellar Wine of the Month - March 2024

This month, we feature a wine gem to honor the memory of Denis Durantou, "a winemaker's winemaker." He was famous for single-handedly revitalizing a formerly unknown family estate into one of Pomerol’s most sought-after wines: Château L'Eglise Clinet. The price of this wine surpasses our ability to include it in our Wine of the Month selection, but its second label, La Petite Eglise, is within our reach. Even though the second wine is hard to find, advance planning allowed us to secure an allocation of the 2019 vintage for our regular members. This was the last vintage he oversaw. His legacy lives on. Here is your chance to taste it.

La Petite Eglise showcases Denis Durantou’s winemaking philosophy, which his daughter carried on after his untimely passing in 2020. Even though it started as a second wine, it is now decidedly capable of standing on its own. It combines some younger vines with grapes from two dedicated parcels, one located next to Pomerol's church, the other by the chateau of La Fleur-Pétrus. Those who know Pomerol will immediately recognize its prime location on the Pomerol plateau, laying the foundation for its top-rated terroir.

Witness to the creative genius of Denis Durantou, the renowned La Petite Eglise embodies elegance and finesse. With its captivating aromas of red fruits and silky tannins, La Petite Église celebrates the art of blending and the winemaker's passion for authenticity. Its complex aromatic bouquet intertwines ripe red fruits, plum, and truffle with delicate hints of licorice and flowers. The result of meticulous blending, primarily of Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc, La Petite Église 2019 embodies the perfect balance between power and finesse, delighting wine enthusiasts.

In addition to his Château L'Eglise Clinet and La Petite Eglise, Denis Durantou also made one of the best value wines in Bordeaux, La Chenade. “It's a fabulous wine," said Fiona Morrison, managing director of Thienpont Wine (Le Pin) and a neighbor in Pomerol. His other widely recognized wines include Château Montlandried, Les Cruzelles, and Saintayme.

Our other selections for this month are Les Cruzelles (Lalande de Pomerol) 2020, Château Dauzac (Margaux) 2015, and Mazzei Concerto di Fonterutoli (Toscana) 2016.

Dauzac 2015 transcends mere wine. It epitomizes art encapsulated in a bottle. With each sip, you're immersed in an enchanting aromatic symphony, skillfully weaving together ripe black fruit notes of blackcurrant and cherry, intertwined with delicate hints of vanilla and oak, imparted by its oak barrel aging.

Concerto di Fonterutoli was created by the Mazzei family estate in 1981 in Chianti, Toscana. It became one of the top 10 players of the “Super Tuscan” phenomenon. The 2016 vintage is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

La Petite Eglise 2019 - "The 2019 La Petite Eglise has turned out brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, sweet spices, rose petals, black truffle, orange rind and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it's supple and enveloping, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, penetrating finish." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (4/7/2022) Rating: 93 Drink: 2024-2045

Les Cruzelles 2020 -"Fresh, delicate and lively, the 2020 Les Cruzelles impresses with its freshness and aromas of cassis, blueberry, spring flowers and iris. This is a fresh and fruity wine with gastronomic appeal that is enveloping and full-bodied on the palate with a savory finish. The 2020 is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc." - Yohan Castaign, The Wine Advocate, (4/13/2023), Rating: 92

Château Dauzac 2015 - "The 2015 Dauzac is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot, the highest percentage of the former in recent years, and matured in 60% new oak barrels. It has a tightly wound but precise bouquet with scents of blackberry cassis and a hint of violet - very polished and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, pure black fruit laced with graphite and spice, gently building in the mouth, finishing with a precise and quite sustained, Pauillac-inspired grace. This is an excellent wine from the estate that will give 20-25 years of drinking pleasure." - Neal Martin, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (4/27/2016, Issue 224), Ratings: 91-93, Drink: 2020-2045

Concerto di Fonterutoli 2016 - "The 2016 Concerto di Fonterutoli is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 225-liter French oak for 18 months. The Cabernet Sauvignon element comes through nicely with dark fruit, spice and some grilled herb. The grape gives the wine a heavier and more concentrated center of gravity. However, the soul and style of the wine is driven by the freshness and delicate aromas of the Sangiovese. Production is 37,000 bottles." - Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (9/19/2019), Ratings: 94, Drink: 2019-2035