Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux AOC
The Pueyo family has owned Château Belregard-Figeac in Saint Émilion since 1853. Christophe Pueyo, the 5th generation to work this land, took control of the domaine from his father and uncle in 2010, and has since converted the estate to organic viticulture and ushered in a new low intervention approach in the cellar, fermenting spontaneously with indigenous yeast, replacing many of the barriques with demi-muids and foudres (and the occasional amphora), and limiting sulphur additions. Certified organic since 2013, they began practicing biodynamics in 2017. He has also expanded the family's holdings and the domaine now comprises 21 ha of vines total, both in Saint Émilion and the Bordeaux AOC.
This is mostly Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc, from two parcels near St-Emilion. Fermented and aged in stainless steel and concrete vats. And don't be fooled by the simple Bordeaux AOC classification, this wine punches way way way above its weight category. The nose is full of ripe blackberry, dark plums, blackcurrant and spiced cherries alongside developing secondary aromatics of wet cedar, dried mushroom, herbaceousness and spice. The acidity is lively, the tannins are firm but well-integrated and the overall texture of the wine is so inviting and dynamic across the palate.
You can go for classic French pairings like duck confit, boeuf bourguignon, sausages or charcuteries like terrine and paté. Or you can go with a wider range including meatloaf, burgers, braised short ribs, roast beef or baked pasta.
A small excerpt about Vignobles Pueyo from Jon Bonné's new book The New French Wine: " Christophe Pueyo embodies precisely what Saint-Emilion seems not to have these days: the will to make fresh, interesting, unpretentious wines that aren't striving to clamber up the cru classé pole. This is evident simply by his address in a quiet Libourne neighborhood near the river--and his work with parts of Saint-Emilion once paid little heed but now increasingly important: 7 hectares predominantly in the sand and gravel areas near Libourne, with others higher up, near Figeac, assembled by his father, Jacques, and uncle Jean-Paul, as well as 8 hectares of standout vineyards farther afield - cabernet franc and merlot on clay-gravel soils in Sainte-Radegonde, a simple Bordeaux appellation ground that outperforms.