L’Aurage 2020 is a wine from the Bordeaux appellation of Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux and comes from the renowned Mitjavile family who make an internationally acclaimed St-Émilion.
This appellation sits just to the east of St-Émilion with an area of 1,853 hectares: somewhat larger than St-Émilion at 1,171 and much larger than Pomerol with only 792. It has a real mix of different soils covering clay, limestone, and some sandstone with silt, sand, and stones on the alluvial terrace above the Dordogne river. Merlot is the primary grape but generally blended with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Louis Mitjavile, started his career working for his father François Mitjavile, the owner of Tertre Roteboeuf in St-Emilion and Roc de Cambes in the Côtes de Bourg. Louis and his wife, Caroline, acquired L’Aurage in 2007 when it was known as Château Cadet. Their first vintage was 2009 and the property has gone from strength to strength.
L’Aurage 2020
The 2020 is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Superbly balanced and although tasting delicious today, will benefit from another couple of years. Classy, velvety and very polished straight from the bottle. As one member of the panel commented, ‘this is the most approachable and enjoyable Claret I have tasted in decades’. In terms of value, it is very difficult to think of another property in Bordeaux that makes a wine as delicious and eminently drinkable, at such a young age, as this 2020. The magnum option is certainly worth considering. It is a flawless example of a modern classic.
£36.15 - Corney & Barrow - Magnums at £76.30
A little history regarding Castillon. When Henry, the great grandson of William the Conqueror, married Eleanor in 1152, part of her dowry was the region of Acquitaine: this part of France became an English possession. Henry invaded England in 1153, and King Stephen agreed to accept him as coadjutor and heir. When Stephen died the following year Henry succeeded without opposition, thus becoming lord of territories stretching from Scotland to the Pyrenees, and the first Plantagenet King, Henry II. Eleanor had inherited a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most sought-after bride of her generation. Eleanor was 30 and Henry only 18 when they married.
The Battle of Castillon, 1453, is notable because for the first time on a battlefield, the power and precision of artillery decimated the troops of the English general John Talbot. Many interpret the Battle of Castillon as marking the decline of chivalry and the end of the Middle Ages.
