Chateau Vieux Moulin Cru Bourgeois Listrac-Medoc Red Wine, France 2018

Château Vieux Moulin is a full-bodied red wine with aromas of ripe cherry, licorice and toast. The palate offers similar flavors, with rich, round, woody tannins and a long finish.

Steak, burgers, barbecue, pork, duck, roasted vegetables, aged cheeses.

If you’re drawn to Bordeaux with real depth and elegance, Château Vieux Moulin is a wine you’ll want to taste. Immediately enticing with red fruit aromas, licorice and subtle toastiness, it shows the bold character that the Left Bank’s Listrac-Médoc does best.

At the northern edge of the appellation, the Fort Dufau family has tended to around 25 acres of vines for four generations, crafting authentic and distinctive wines from the estate’s clay-limestone soils. Since the 2008 vintage, Château Vieux Moulin has been regarded as a Cru Bourgeois—a mark of quality recognized across the region.

A blend of Merlot and Cab Sauvignon with a small amount of Petit Verdot, this wine came about 10 years after they first earned the title, in 2018, which JancisRobinson.com says, “will be remembered as an exceptional year, with no shortage of outstanding.”

A year in oak barrels has refined its somewhat burly tannins, lending smoothness and depth without overpowering the wine’s vibrant fruit. In the glass, expect a deep purple hue, with an expressive nose of ripe cherry and licorice. The palate offers similar flavors layered with woody tones and structured by rounded tannins.

This is a wine to linger over—best decanted to allow its brawny character to soften and open fully. Pair it with grilled beef, roast lamb, or a selection of aged cheeses.