Old School Bordeaux by Le Puy
For generations, the Amoreau family has quietly ignored the trends that have swept through the region, choosing instead to farm organically and biodynamically, ferment with native yeasts, avoid unnecessary intervention in the cellar, and bottle wines that reflect their vineyards rather than a recipe. Perhaps most famously, they have voluntarily given up the right to use the Bordeaux appellation, choosing Vin de France because they refuse to compromise the philosophy that has guided the estate for centuries.
The irony is that some of their vineyards sit exactly where collectors would expect great Bordeaux to come from.
The 2024 Le Puy "Duc des Nauves" is labeled simply Vin de France, yet the vineyard lies entirely within the borders of Saint-Émilion. It is a secondary cuvée of Le Puy, grown in a neighboring parcel owned by the Amoreau family. Like the estate itself, the vineyard sits on the prized astéries limestone that has made this corner of Bordeaux famous, only at a slightly lower elevation of 80 meters above sea level instead of Le Puy's 110. Every aspect of the farming and winemaking is handled by the Château Le Puy team using exactly the same philosophy that has earned the estate its legendary reputation.
The vineyard is farmed naturally, organically, and biodynamically. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts before the wine spends twelve months aging in small cement vats. There is no filtration before bottling.
The blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most complete expressions of Merlot I have tasted all year. The nose is filled with plum, black cherry, and dark berries, while the palate combines remarkable freshness with velvety tannins and the unmistakable mineral signature that only limestone seems capable of delivering. It has the purity, balance, and energy that have become the hallmarks of Le Puy.
I tasted this wine recently, and it immediately struck me as one of the finest Merlot-driven wines from Bordeaux that I have had this year. It isn't trying to overwhelm you with extraction or new oak. Instead, it succeeds through elegance, and an incredible sense of place. Every glass reminds you that great Bordeaux is built on balance rather than power.
Le Puy has become one of the most influential estates in Bordeaux because they have spent decades proving that there is another way forward. The rest of the region has slowly begun embracing ideas the Amoreau family never abandoned.
The Duc des Nauves may be the most approachable way to experience that philosophy. It may say Vin de France on the label, but don't mistake that for a lesser wine. If anything, it is a reminder that the most interesting wines in Bordeaux are often made by those willing to ignore the rulebook altogether.
