Needle in a Haystack!

When I was an assistant Bordeaux buyer at K&L many years ago, I was so fortunate to learn from the best, Clyde Beffa. 

My friends would say, "you call tasting Bordeaux work?" Yes, it was -- we'd taste 50+ samples in a day. Finding a Bordeaux that met Clyde's standards for quality and price was like finding a needle in a haystack. 

So when I started importing, I knew I was lucky to find Ch. Trapaud St.-Emilion Grand Cru. This is one of those rare needles-in-a-haystack, offering head-turning quality for around $30 retail. And the 2015 vintage, which just landed, is their best yet.

The French have recognized Trapaud's quality for many years -- you'll see some of the French retailers on wine-searcher with library vintages going back to '64. 

Reviewers are starting to notice, too. James Suckling rated Trapaud '15 on par with Ch. Les Grandes Murailles, Ch. La Clotte, and Ch. Grand-Mayne, each of which retails for roughly double.

Behind Trapaud's rising stardom is the extraordinarily talented and quietly persistent Béatrice Larribière, who has been winemaker since winning her father's confidence in 1997. 

She'd worked in Australia and Napa before coming home, and brought a conviction for organic farming even though it was rarely practiced in Bordeaux.

Finally after 10 years as Trapaud's winemaker, she convinced her father that organic conversion was the right thing to do and she did it. (Certified in 2012 vintage.) That makes Trapaud all the more compelling -- being woman-led and organic in Bordeaux's ultra conservative community is a big deal. 

The results speak for themselves. Just look at that pristine vineyard -- if I were a hen, that's where I'd want to be!