WHAT

Red

WHEN

2013

WHERE

Fronsac, Bordeaux, France

Château La Vieille Cure is one of the benchmark estates in Fronsac — 20 hectares on a single plateau of limestone just across the river from Pomerol. The vines average 40 years old, everything is hand harvested, and the cellar runs on indigenous yeasts. La Sacristie is the second label, made the same way but from the estate's younger vines.

The 2013 is a blend of 74% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 18 months in French oak with 30% new barrels. It's a right bank Bordeaux that has been quietly developing in bottle for over a decade — the tannins are fully integrated, the fruit has settled into stewed plum and dried cherry, and there's a lovely graphite and cedar thread running through the finish. The limestone soils give it a freshness that keeps it lively.

This is the kind of bottle that reminds you why aged Bordeaux at a fair price is one of the great pleasures in wine. Open it tonight with lamb, duck, or a good hard cheese.