Château Poitevin 2016, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc

Château Poitevin 2016, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc
13%
€18.95 down from €21.95 until the 27th August from O’Briens.

This is a classic medium-bodied mature Médoc with a nice concentration of just ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, good structure, a touch of spice and evolved smooth tannins on the dry finish. At less than €20, this is pretty good value for money.

Perfect with red meats – the classic roast leg of lamb would be great – or firm cheeses.

After many years of wrangling, the Cru Bourgeois system was relaunched in 2020. There are now 250 Châteaux spread out across the Médoc entitled to call themselves Cru Bourgeois. 45 of those are Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and a further 14 are Cru Bourgeois Exceptionel. A well-made Cru Bourgeois from the Médoc can offer great value for money; there are also disappointments, something to be expected when you have such a large group, but the new system seems to provide far great consistency. According to the official Bordeaux website, the Crus Bourgeois make up over 40% of the entire Médoc production.

Cru Bourgeois straddles the gap between the much more expensive Grands Crus Classés and mere petits châteaux. For me, they should have classic Médoc structure and fruit; ripe but savoury dark fruits, granular tannins and good acidity. Those from the better-known communes such as Margaux or Saint-Julien should show some typicity too.