On the last day of our trip to Bordeaux, while Clyde was nursing a sore leg, Trey and I met up with Jean-Charles Cazes, fourth generation of the Cazes family, to tour their new cellar. With a new cellar and a ton of momentum in the market, it feels like an exciting moment for this château.

When France opened its borders in early June, our team was on the second plane out of California. And indeed, we were among the very first Americans that many of the French had seen, and we were certainly among the only to taste the 2020 vintage at the châteaux. We were able to learn from the winemakers, taste wines fresh from barrels, and get a perspective on this vintage not afforded to those who didn’t leave terra firma in the U.S. In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find our direct-from-Bordeaux 2020 vintage preview.

Château Haut-Bailly is near and dear to K&L’s heart. In addition to making stunningly elegant wines, CEO Veronique Sanders is a dear friend of our co-owner Clyde Beffa. To celebrate their long friendship and our first visit since the pandemic, Clyde brought a bottle of 1952 Haut-Bailly to dinner. It was particularly special to try the brand new baby wine from the 2020 vintage on the same evening as wines that have been in the cellar for decades.

The saying goes, “If the mountain won’t come to Muhammed, Muhammed must go to the mountain.” Sound advice. But occasionally it’s the mountain that comes a’knocking. That’s how we felt when we were tasting at Joanne, and had the great pleasure of a visit from Haut Brion.

With the release of Figeac’s 2020 this week, I’m reminded that much of the conversation around Bordeaux often has to do with prices and critics scores, rather than the people at the heart of the wineries. Figeac certainly has the scores—all the critical ratings I’ve seen hover in the 95-99 range—but they also have a family devoted to the property, working to make better wines every year.