This is a wonderful Bordeaux value with a long name and a somewhat complicated story, but even complicated wine stories can usually be boiled down to two essentials: place and people.

The place is Château La Rode, an unassuming, eight-hectare (20-acre) estate owned by the Burriel family. It is located in the east bank district of Côtes de Castillon, a recent appellation (since 1989) consisting of nine villages that lie just east of Saint-Emilion. The soil here is clay and limestone with some sandstone. Like St.-Emilion, Côtes de Castillon is a relatively cool part of Bordeaux where Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominate because they ripen earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon. Lying on a gently sloped, south-west facing hill, Château La Rode is somewhat unusual for the area; it is planted to 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The people: Last month we wrote about Jean Luc Thunevin, one of the founders of the "garagiste" movement, who upset the staid world of St.-Emilion by making Valandraud, a big, ripe, fleshy, modern-styled wine literally out of a former garage. The wine's Parker ratings have averaged 93 points over the last 17 years! Parker: "Valandraud is one of the most interesting stories in Bordeaux. It is made from an unheralded terroir owned by the young, obsessive/compulsive, exuberantly passionate Thunevin. He produces a Bordeaux from tiny yields and ripe fruit, ages it in 100% new oak, and refuses to fine or filter prior to bottling. Sadly, Valandraud has become the darling of speculators. It is easy to criticize the outrageous prices ($300+) this wine fetches, but Valandraud symbolizes what can be done in Bordeaux when the limits of quality are pushed to the maximum and the advice of most oenologists (who for nearly three decades have encouraged too much fining and filtering) is ignored."

In an effort to make available wines at a more affordable price, Thunevin has teamed up with the owner of Chateau la Rode to make this absolute bargain. The sustainably farmed vineyard is relatively densely planted (5000 vines per hectare), and yields are a remarkably low (45 hl/ha) for such an inexpensive wine. The wine was mostly aged in stainless steel, but 15% was aged in new, one, and two-year old barrique for 12-18 months. It was bottled unfined and very lightly filtered. The wine has an explosive bouquet of ripe cherries, a big, round mouth feel, lush fine-grained tannins, and a relatively rich and long finish with soft acidity that carries and holds the freshness of the fruit in the mouth. This is a fabulous value from a fabulous vintage. Try it with Asian Flank Steak.

E-Mail: beekman@conversent.net

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