The siege is over at last. After years of asking Thierry and Christine Boucard for their lone cuvée from Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, they have finally sent us a small shipment. You might have two questions: Why not until now? And what makes their Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil wine different from their Bourgueil bottlings?
     To answer the first: the appetite in France for great wines from the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil appellation has been ravenous and the Boucards have made just enough of this wine to satisfy their compatriots. Besides, they have kept us more than happy with their Bourgueil AOC cuvées, some of the most dependable and delicious values we import, so we couldn’t really complain. Which brings me to answer the second question: what’s different about this wine?
     Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil lies just to the west of Bourgueil, home to the rest of the Boucards’ wines, all made from Cabernet Franc. The Bourgueil “Beauvais” comes from a clay-and-limestone terroir that is seen as an unofficial grand cru by the local producers. It is the most structured and built for the (very) long haul. The Bourgueil “Alouettes,” meanwhile, with its bright red fruit and soft tannins, screams “dangerously downable bistro wine!”
     Our new cuvée, the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil “Irène”, comes from 30-year-old vines in sandy gravel and achieves an irresistible balance between the two Bourgueils. With blackberries, blueberries, graphite, and pine rising seductively from the glass, it has the inherent charm to drink beautifully on its own, but it also has the spine and finesse to stand up to roast meats, braises, stews, and grilled vegetables. A dual threat, in other words.
     If you want to experience the evolution of this outstanding value, I suggest getting six bottles or a case to enjoy its progress over the next three years. You’ll be amazed by what’s in your glass and what you paid for it.