Chateau Marquisat de Binet Cuvee Abel 2012

The wine itself is very playful, fruit forward, but held upright by a stony structure. While only a few hundred yards away from St Emilion proper, and the legendary Chateaux that surround this special mountain, it's amazing to see such unique qualities of terroir that not only typifies a region, but also accents the virtues of this most unique property. One of Bordeaux's only true hillside estates.

The ground is moist from the rain, but the terroir is evident, piercing through the muddy earth. We can see the mushy blue clay that typifies this region. There is an abundance of rocks and other mineral below us, which resembles a cobblestone surface with the sticky blue clay binding the stony assortment. Christophe Bardeau, the winemaker here and of Domaine Roses Camille, explains that he feels that this region, and vineyard in particular, has the highest expression of terroir out of anything he has worked with. The minerality of the earth, coupled with the concentrated fruit from the higher elevation vineyard, form a special sense of place that is otherwise unparalleled.