MOULIS & LISTRAC 2016
Looking for that satisfyingly dry, savoury, Médoc flavour but unwilling to pay classed growth prices? Try Moulis and Listrac, the tiny communal appellations that rub shoulders with Bordeaux heavyweights Margaux, St-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estèphe. The châteaux are less trumpeted, but good value is practically guaranteed.
Absent from the 1855 classification, Moulis and Listrac have a long-standing viticultural history dating back to the Middle Ages. This is prime cru bourgeois country, its vineyards established by the 18th century. By 1932 Château Chasse-Spleen in Moulis was labelled cru bourgeois exceptionnel, while 14 châteaux in Moulis and nine in Listrac were listed as crus bourgeois supérieurs.
Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s ambitious plans for Château Clarke in Listrac re-focused attention on the region in the 1980s.
