2010 Chateau Bouscasse

Ok, if I told you that a small winery in the south of France known as Bouscasse (with an accent over that ‘e’ that we always leave out because of spam filters) were comparable to Petrus, Chateau Latour, Vega Sicilia and Haut-Brion among others, you’d probably laugh me right out of my own stores.  Frankly, I’d probably not even believe myself.

Except for this.  Check out these quotes below.  Collectively, they represent some of the famous commentators in all of the wide world of wine:

“These are unreal wines that are purely made, remarkably rich and so completely promising that they cannot be ignored.” —Robert Parker

“The wines of Alain Brumont are at the same level as Château Latour and the greatest wines in the world. Alain Brumont is, in the world of wines a bull fighter”. —Steven Spurrier

“Unbelievable Terroirs … monumental wines. The Petrus of the South West. Madiran has rediscovered its original varietal and its roots: those of an ageing wine capable of competing with the best Bordeaux wines. Equal in standing as Vega Sicilia-Pingus”. —Bettane & Desseauve

“The wines of Château Montus and Château Bouscassé are classified among the ten icons of Southern France, next to Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Petrus, Haut-Brion, Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Yquem.” —Andrew Jefford, “The New France”

So, who is this man getting such high praise?

He is Alain Brumont, and his winery is Chateau Bouscasse in the area of Madiran, France.  Alain has given his life, and over 50 vintages, to re-establishing the old terroirs of the Madiran.

The Madiran’s heyday arguably occurred over 300 years ago, making “pre-Bordeaux” red wines of deep, dark intensity with Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, and Tannat.  However, once Madiran’s wines began to seriously compete with Bordeaux, Bordelais merchants choked the supply chain in favor of their own wines.  A once-noble wine region was silenced, until Alain’s Chateau Bouscasse came along.  Here is the amazing 2009:

The wine opens with dense, dark, and intense richness of black fruits and dried raspberry, currants and roasted black tea.  Much like an aged Pomerol, cedar, sous bois and notes of leather arise upon letting the bottle have air.

The palate is firm, with powerful Cabernet tannins, yet is exceptionally well integrated.  On the finish, the tannins are mouth coating, crying out for spicy red meats, rich dishes from the grill, or even Basque cuisine.  The wine is indeed from 2009, now seven years old, and is drinking exceptionally well now. However, I’ve had examples at over twenty years old that are still full of life and still in middle age.

Competing in a field with Latour, Petrus or Vega Sicilia, one should expect a wine to be hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a bottle.  But it’s not, it’s $20, and at that price, you’ll never find a better bargain.