2022 Croix de Labrie, St-Emilion

Deep purple-hued, the 2022 Château Croix De Labrie is based on 84% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Cabernet Franc that's from a handful of sites of mostly cooler limestone soils. Cassis, violets, darker chocolate, graphite, and spicy oak all emerge from this pure, concentrated, beautifully balanced and full-bodied 2022. It’s relatively inward and tight at the moment, yet it still blossoms with air and has so much to love. I would hide bottles for 4-6 years, and it should cruise over the following two decades.

Axelle and Pierre Courdurié are crafting some of the finest wines in Bordeaux at Croix de Labrie, a fact made unmistakable when tasting their absolutely stunning 2022 vintage. Sourced from hillside parcels between Troplong Mondot and Larcis Ducasse, this tiny, cult‑caliber estate feels almost Burgundian in scale and humility, yet the wine is unmistakably Bordeaux in character. I love how this wine delivers endless depth of flavor while maintaining extraordinary elegance. The texture is perfect, the tannins seamless, the acids bright, and a beautiful mineral thread runs throughout. It’s so thoughtfully composed and endlessly delicious. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting it with the team on multiple occasions, and it has been one of the most impressive wines in every setting. If you want a first-hand experience with one of the region’s ascendant properties—or to add a true under‑the‑radar gem with immense potential to your collection—this is it. The 2022 Croix de Labrie is a masterpiece, and one I cannot recommend highly enough. They produce only a few hundred cases per year, so our property‑direct allocation represents a meaningful share of what exists for the world. It’s a get‑it‑while‑you‑can wine, made even more compelling by the soaring success of the benchmark 2022 vintage.