Château Ducasse Graves 2015

Château Ducasse’s 2015 Graves is the finest example of Château Ducasse to date. A scion of the exceptional and much heralded 2015 vintage, the 2015 Château Ducasse Graves displays a deep purple robe and an enticing aroma that is classic Graves: a delightful array of black fruits, cassis, unsmoked tobacco and supple earth tones that greet the nose and enliven the palate. With 20-30 minutes of aeration in a glass or decanter this charming red Graves truly blossoms, revealing layers of satisfying flavors. Dry, yet rich with the quintessential savor of Graves, the 2015 Château Ducasse offers a wealth of blackberry and currant fruit, cedar, herbs and wood smoke on the palate to complement the wine’s ripe, firm tannins. And as one has come to expect from fine red Graves, the 2015 Château Ducasse finishes with a flourish. The 2015 vintage in Bordeaux has endowed this wine with ample fruit and a healthy tannic structure along with exceptional texture, all of which bode well for both early consumption and long-term cellaring. The 2015 Château Ducasse Graves can be enjoyed now through at least 2024. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest decanting the 2015 Château Ducasse Graves for at least 30 minutes before serving at cool room temperature (60°-64° F).

The 2015 Château Ducasse Graves is a medium-bodied red Bordeaux with a big personality that will make a splendid partner to any dinner party. It graciously accompanies a variety of dishes, from the simple to the sublime. One of our favorite pairings with young Graves is veal. Tender cutlets of milk-fed veal stuffed with cheeses and herbs provide wonderful accompaniments to Château Ducasse’s quintessential red Graves. Almond Encrusted Pork Tenderloin, served with a dried cranberry and apple conserve and savory wild rice, offers another tasty complement. Cornish game hens and fine cuts of beef served with roasted root vegetables offer equally rewarding pairings to Château Ducasse’s red Graves. And red Graves in the company of a platter of soft cheeses makes for a simple but satisfying combination, without having to spend hours in the kitchen. Bon appétit!

Red Bordeaux, and that includes red Graves, is so often paired with red meat, poultry and game, that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that good red Bordeaux wines provide ideal accompaniments to many of the world’s finest cheeses. Consequently, we suggest pairing the 2015 Château Ducasse Graves with a variety of international cheeses. Dubliner Cheddar, aged Gouda, Port Salut, and Reblochon are just a few gourmet cheeses that provide ideal complements to this wine. To learn more about the world’s finest cheeses, contact us at www.cheesemonthclub.com.

Château Ducasse is estate bottled red Graves from Château Beauregard Ducasse. Marie-Laure and Jacques Perromat are the sixth generation to make wine at Château Beauregard Ducasse, as the family has been in possession of this venerable château since 1850. Located in the village of Mazères in the southernmost rural section of the Graves region on a bed of gravel (from which the name Graves is derived), this 27 acre estate produces exceptional red and white Graves.

The majority of the estate’s production is white Graves from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, while the two red Graves of Château Beauregard Ducasse consist of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and in some vintages a small quantity of Petit Verdot. In order to provide the highest quality wine, Château Beauregard-Ducasse produces two exceptional red Graves at the château, Château Ducasse (this month’s feature) and Château Beauregard Ducasse.

The Perromats also fashion two white Graves, an easy drinking wine meant for early consumption and the more age-worthy Cuvée Albertine Peyri, a barrel-fermented white Graves from the finest barrels.

Graves is the oldest and most historic of all the Bordeaux communes. Before Latour, Lafite, Margaux, and the rest of the well-known names of the Médoc even existed or had even seen a cultivated vine, there was Graves. In fact, Graves has been the home of cultivated vines since as early as the 1st century AD, due at least in part to the Romans inability to grow other crops in the graveled soil from which the name Graves is derived. The stone and gravel deposits are vestiges of the last Ice Age, a bane to most farmers but a boon to grape growers, whose vines struggle deep into the thin, porous soil to draw life and subtle complex flavors from the nutrients below.

The wines of Graves appear to have been the first Bordeaux wines to be exported, with archaeological evidence that Roman garrisons in Britain were the happy recipients of Bordeaux’s quintessential wines. And by the early 12th century, Graves was the most sought after wine in England and beyond for its quality as well as its proximity to the city and port of Bordeaux itself, which lay just a few kilometers from Graves.

Graves is rightly famous for both red and white wines. At their best, the red wines of Graves are unsurpassed for their aromatic beauty as well as their smooth, rich flavors. Earthy fragrant aromas that resemble cedar, a classic cigar box scent, blackcurrant, and tobacco emanate from red Graves and form a bouquet that is frequently described as enchanting and profound. Moreover, fine red Graves is often the supplest of Bordeaux on the palate. It is also the most flavorful and easily appreciated of the great red wines of Bordeaux.