Chateau Meyney 2010: Drink a bottle a year for the next 20

The wine to drink in 2025 and beyond

Meyney is fast becoming one of my favourite wines.

I was turned onto it by the 1989, which is incredible. Since then I've also sampled the 2005 which is just as good. 

Meyney seems to combine all the best elements of Cabernet Sauvignon (66% of vines) and Merlot (25%) in a very affordable way. It feels like it should cost a lot more than it does. Thankfully it does not.

I've become increasingly appreciative of the grape combination, the more I read about the commune it hails from.

The wines of Saint-Estephe need that mix of both due to the location and weather combinations.

There's more Merlot than further south in Pauillac, needed, apparently, to smooth out the Cabernet grapes. This is due to, I think, to the fact that the vines are on reclaimed land and there's more clay, which suits Merlot more than Cabernet, which prefers more gravelly soils.

They say Cabernet provides the 'spine' whilst Merlot adds the 'flesh' to the wine.

If that description puts you off, it's worth noting that in his book on the region "Bordeaux St Estephe, Wines of a Great Commune" David Copp writes that the Merlot at Meyney "...is planted in a three metre thick streak of the same blue-clay sub-soil that is found at Chateau Petrus in Pomerol".

Having recently had the immense privilege of trying the 1983 Petrus I can see just what he means.

I'd suggest you can even taste it in the 2010 Meyney, a wine ought to be far too young to drink now.

Clearly it is far too youthful, a classic Bordeaux year such as 2010 demands cellaring for decades.

But the Meyney 2010 is worth buying now and sampling a bottle a year or more, for evermore.

It's simply superb. Big, smooth, slightly muddy, it's just delicious.

Even now you can get to grips with its complexity, length, depth and balance.

I found it smoother than say, Pez or Ormes de Pez, which can sometimes be a little too 'minerally' by comparison. Parker gives it 89-91. I'd say 93. Others agree. More reviews are here.

At the current price it's a complete steal. I'll be buying as much as I can. More on availability here.