Customers often ask me to show them a good value Bordeaux around $20 that gives them a feel for what Bordeaux can deliver. Petit Manou is the perfect wine to accomplish that. It is the second wine of Clos Manou winery, located in the northern Medoc region. The winemaker and one of the owners honed his craft by spending most extra hours of his youth in the cellars of the famed Mouton-Rothschild studying traditional winemaking methods. This level of attention to detail extends to every facet of the winemaking process, from farming, harvesting, fermentation, production, aging, to even creating informative wine labels. The most important result of this training shows in the wine itself, with incredible balance, structure, purity of fruit at a price that is shockingly affordable given those attributes. The nose shows dark cassis fruit with dried herbs and subtle vanilla from the toasted French oak barrels. The nose carries over to the palate with smooth persistent tannins and enough acidity that indicates this wine will develop well over the next few years. It tastes so good right now that I will have difficulty finding the patience to age... so enjoy now with your next grilling adventure. Salut! - Drew Fuller, May 2020