Château Tauzinat L’Hermitage
The St Emilion appellation is broad and complex, a great patchwork quilt of vineyards, châteaux and cellars spread across 5,500 hectares of the Bordeaux region. While everybody (even me!) knows all the premier grand cru classé estates, from Château Ausone through to Château Valandraud, we must not forget that beyond the most famous names there are hundreds of other little-known domaines, some of which are turning out very admirable and often (for Bordeaux) affordable wines. No matter how many years I hope to spend exploring its land and its wines, I expect I shall never know every cru, every vineyard and every domaine.
Of course, that won’t stop me trying.
This complex diversity was brought home to me more than a few years ago now when I first encountered the wines of Château Tauzinat L’Hermitage. Despite never having previously encountered the wines of this estate, it was clear on tasting them that this was an interesting new data point in my personal understanding of the St Emilion appellation. And despite the domaine’s relative obscurity today a little research soon revealed that it has a long history, having appeared in various editions of Cocks et Féret since the 19th century. This is no newcomer to the St Emilion wine scene.
