Chateau des Eyrins, Margaux, "La Closerie de Eyrins"

I love traditionally made Bordeaux — wines that still have richness and texture, but where the perfume leans into that old-school character: tobacco leaf, pencil lead, cedar, and graphite wrapped around dark fruit. Those wines are getting harder to find these days. Modern winemaking has evolved toward ultra-polished styles — often so plush and glossy they can feel closer to top Napa Valley Cabernet than the classic character Bordeaux built its reputation on. The good news is this wine absolutely knocks it out of the park, exuding the qualities most of us crave when we pour a glass of Bordeaux. Château des Eyrins is a tiny, traditionally run estate owned by two of France’s most respected farmers and winemakers, Julie and Xavier Gonet-Médeville. The property itself is extraordinary — just seven acres (about three hectares) of vines — and two of the three sides of the vineyard literally border the vines of Château Margaux.

For those new to Bordeaux, it helps to understand the geography. The Médoc — where Margaux sits — is a narrow peninsula north of the city of Bordeaux positioned between two major bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Gironde Estuary to the east. This unique location is a big part of why the wines here are so successful. The Atlantic moderates the climate, preventing extremes of heat and cold, while the wide Gironde reflects sunlight and stabilizes vineyard temperatures. Over thousands of years, rivers carried gravel and stones down from the Pyrenees and deposited them here, creating the deep gravel soils that Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in today. Much of the Médoc was originally marshland until the 17th century, when Dutch engineers drained the wetlands and transformed the peninsula into vineyard land. Within the Médoc, Margaux sits at the southern end and has long been considered the most elegant and perfumed of the Left Bank appellations, producing wines famous for their lifted aromatics — violets, cedar, graphite — and silky, refined tannins.

Julie and Xavier Gonet-Médeville are, in many ways, the first couple of French wine. Julie’s family owns the legendary Château Gilette in Sauternes, famous for producing some of the longest-aged sweet wines in Bordeaux. Xavier descends from a historic family of Champagne growers in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Together they represent a new generation of French vignerons combining deep family tradition with thoughtful, meticulous farming. They purchased the seven-acre Château des Eyrins estate in 2008 from Eric Grangeroux, whose family served as cellar masters at Château Margaux for three generations — which explains why this small property sits so intimately alongside the First Growth’s vineyards.

La Closerie d’Eyrins comes from a tiny 0.9-hectare parcel on the famous Plateau du Moulin, a triangular section of vineyard bordered on two of its three sides by the vines of Château Margaux itself. The soils are classic Margaux: deep gravel over limestone, providing excellent drainage and the mineral backbone that defines the appellation. The vineyards are planted primarily to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing a wine that balances supple fruit with the structure and aromatic complexity the Médoc is known for. Grapes are harvested by hand, fermented in stainless steel tanks, and macerated for about 21 days before aging roughly 18 months, split between oak barrels and tank to preserve freshness and purity.

In the glass, La Closerie d’Eyrins shows exactly what lovers of classic Bordeaux hope to find. Aromas of blackcurrant, red cherry, violets, cedar, tobacco leaf, and graphite rise from the glass, followed by hints of crushed gravel and subtle spice. The palate is refined and beautifully structured — layered dark fruit wrapped around fine tannins, finishing long with that unmistakable Margaux combination of elegance, perfume, and mineral lift.

This is the kind of wine that belongs on the table with classic dishes from the region. In the Médoc you’ll often see wines like this served with entrecôte à la bordelaise, ribeye steak finished with a rich red wine and shallot sauce. It’s equally fantastic with roast lamb with garlic and herbs, duck confit with potatoes cooked in duck fat, or even simple grilled entrecôte over charcoal. The savory depth of those dishes mirrors the wine’s cedar, tobacco, and graphite notes beautifully.

This is the kind of Bordeaux that reminds you why the region became the benchmark for Cabernet-based wines around the world — classic, balanced, and unmistakably Margaux.