Bordeaux 2013 Primeurs: Moulis & Listrac
To the west of Arcins and Lamarque, two of the communes that are squeezed in-between Margaux (to the south) and St Julien (to the north), lie the two lesser-known Médoc appellations, Moulis and Listrac. They are both, ordinarily, communes worth knowing about. Moulis, which has a little gravel, certainly enjoys the better reputation, and its wines can on occasion challenge those from the lower ranks of the 1855 classification. Listrac should not be ignored though, even if the wines here are rather less typical of the left bank, the soils being more marked by limestone and clay. The wines can, despite this, offer some degree of typicity and they can certainly be good value, if you choose wisely.
Listrac is also home to the third Bordeaux branch of the Rothschild family. While I am sure everybody is familiar with Château Mouton-Rothschild, today under the direction of Baroness Philippine, daughter of the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild, and also Château Lafite-Rothschild, run by Baron Eric de Rothschild, nephew of the late Baron Elie de Rothschild, I imagine fewer people will be as familiar with Château Clarke. This very large estate, amounting to 54 hectares all told, lies directly west of the little town of Listrac-Médoc, and is home to Baron Benjamin de Rothschild. Benjamin inherited the estate from his father Baron Edmond, who had purchased it during the 1970s. Despite this famous association, I have never really paid Château Clarke that much attention. When drinking from this corner of Bordeaux I favour Moulis over Listrac, and there are bottles from both Château Poujeaux and Château Chasse-Spleen tucked away (somewhere!) in the cellar. When it comes to Listrac per se, I am more familiar with the Fourcas properties, such as Château Fourcas Hosten, than any others.
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