Cassis and gravelly stone anchor this youthful Pauillac, its medium body supported by a mineral-granite backbone built to age, a rare small-estate wine from a blue-chip region where such independence is nearly extinct. The Rainaud family has held this hidden gem since the 1930s, and it shows in every measured decision: hand harvest, three weeks of warm fermentation, eighteen months in French oak.
Winemaker Notes
Hand harvested. Fermentation for 3 weeks at a temperature of 28-30° C. 18-20 months in French Oak.
About the Producer
Almost every winery in the blue-chip AOC of Pauillac is owned by a classified growth or a large holding company – You can count the number of remaining small estates in Pauillac on one hand. Of those five, there is just one hidden gem: Chateau Haut de la Becade, owned by the Rainaud family since the 1930’s. They make just 600 cases per year, a good proportion of which you all will collectively gobble up today.
With Chateau Haut de Becade, it is all about location – This property sits smack dab in the middle of 7 classified growths. Look north you’ll see Chateau Lynch Bages, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau d’Armailhac, and Chateau Pontet Canet…look South and you’ll see Chateau Pichon Baron, Chateau Pichon Lalande de Comtesse, and Chateau Latour…….all within about a 2-mile radius!
