Closerie du Pelan deserves to be as recognized as the classified chateaux of the left and right banks, but because it sits on the outskirts in the Cotes de Francs. The estate has been farmed strictly organically since the 1980s and before being taken over by Le Puy in 2022, the wines were made thoughtfully and traditionally in the cellar. The blend is roughly 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot grown on iron-rich, sandy silt soils. Upon my first smell of this wine, I ordered it for the store. There is something so magical about fully mature Bordeaux that you just can’t get when the wine is young. A beautiful melange of ripe, barely dried red fruit, old cedar box, and dried herbs.