To all Best Winers,
Home is where the heart is.
Home on the Range.
If I had Jonathan Maltus’ home I’d be a pretty happy dude.
It took him a decade, but Jonathan Maltus is now one of the hottest commodities in Bordeaux. His range of wines, starting at the top with the 100 point Le Dome and following all the way through to his ‘every day’ rock star Chateau Pezat, are redefining Bordeaux’s right bank.
But you have to have started somewhere, right? And for Jonathan, his start came at Chateau Teyssier. Teyssier is his home base, literally. He lives on the property and truly plays the part of the vigneron, tending his vines then heading inside to probably grab a beer, kick his feet up and help the kids with their homework.
His ‘house’ (ok, chateau...) is very cool, with a big fireplace dead center in the main room where the family hangs out and where he does quite a bit of his cooking! Wicked stereo system, hearth-fired meats and some of the finest wine in St. Emilion? Yeah, we got to do that. It was truly an awesome experience.
Of course, the highlight was that 100 point Le Dome, but the wine that stirred us the most from a practical, ‘it doesn’t cost $250 a bottle and I could sell the heck out of it’ sense was the wine from his own backyard, Chateau Teyssier.
Teyssier is an unabashedly ‘modern’ wine. Jonathan and his team uses all the classic Burgundian winemaking know-how that was initially brought into Bordeaux via himself and his ‘garagiste’ pals in the mid-90’s. Prior to that time many estates weren’t utilizing such basic techniques as gravity transfer of the wine (as opposed to pumping), double sorting or utilizing more of the wines natural lees to nourish and protect the wine while in cask. Nowadays all these processes are de rigueur, thanks to Mr. Maltus and his fellow garage rebels.
Teyssier is made the same way as the rest of the award-winning Maltus line-up, no expense is spared. In 2009 this philosophy paid off with some monster press for this world class ‘house wine’.
Bob Parker wrote:
“The flagship property of Jonathan Maltus (his residence as well), this is the best Teyssier I have ever tasted. A tribute to his efforts, this blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc over-achieves even in a great vintage like 2009. Opaque blue/purple, with notes of charcoal, blackberry, cassis and spring flowers as well as a hint of subtle background oak, the wine is opulent, sumptuously textured, dense, pure and multi-dimensional. It should drink well for at least a decade or more. 92 points.”
It’s near-impossible to find great St. Emilion with this kind of press for under $40, let alone under $25. I don’t know of a St. Emilion in any vintage that has achieved this kind of success that is selling for this kind of price. Believe us, we looked, it just doesn’t happen.
And to get a delicious Wine Advocate 92 point Bordeaux blend from Napa for $24? Forget it, it’s going to cost you twice as much...
Kyle Meyer and Tristen Beamon, Proprietors, BestWinesOnline.com
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