Château Les Cruzelles: Tasting & Drinking
It cannot be denied that the late Denis Durantou’s talent shone through most clearly at Château L’Église-Clinet; it is his flagship estate, where he has taken an admittedly hallowed terroir and lifted the quality of its wines to a level previously undreamt of, albeit a level that is entirely appropriate considering the location of the vineyard. The wines are magnificent. I find it easy, however, to also love well-made wines from fabulously situated vineyards in less popular parts of Bordeaux, and this is where Château Les Cruzelles comes in.
What I always admired most about Denis was that he took the same fastidious attention to detail he employed at Château L’Église-Clinet and transferred it to his other vineyards which, although they might have a lesser appellation such as Lalande-de-Pomerol as here, or perhaps Castillon, often have a very favourable terroir. As a consequence the wines of Château Les Cruzelles have all the floral fruit confidence and textured panache that we would expect to find in a wine from a much more exalted appellation, in other words Pomerol. And what is more, they are great value, because the prices reflect the perceived value of the land and the perceived significance of the appellation. Like the wines of Château L’Église-Clinet, those of Château Les Cruzelles should never be under-rated or overlooked. These are wines to buy by the affordable caseload, with utmost confidence that drinking pleasure will ensue. I hope that this character is maintained now that the running of the property has fallen to the Durantou daughters, Constance, Alix and Noëmie; I have no reason to suspect that it won’t be. (16/11/14, updated 30/5/14, 8/8/20)
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