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Description
There is something special about a Bordeaux Magnum. With 1.5 litres of wine — the equivalent of two standard bottles — it naturally turns an already beautiful wine into something made for sharing.
This is Château Martet Réserve de Famille 2021, the flagship cuvée of the estate in Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux. Made entirely from Merlot, it is a serious and beautifully polished Bordeaux, combining richness and concentration with the elegance and balance that we look for at The French Paradox.
The wine shows a deep and expressive nose, with layers of ripe black cherry, blackcurrant and plum, followed by violet, sweet spice and subtle truffle notes. Eighteen months of ageing in new oak adds further complexity, bringing delicate touches of vanilla, cedar and cocoa without masking the character of the fruit.
On the palate, the 2021 is full-bodied, generous and velvety, with Merlot providing plenty of richness while finely structured tannins give the wine shape and length. Dark berries and crushed plum develop into more savoury notes of earth, graphite and dark chocolate, with freshness keeping the wine balanced rather than heavy.
The Magnum format is particularly well suited to a wine of this style. The larger bottle allows the wine to evolve more slowly and gracefully, while its generous size makes it an obvious choice for a dinner with friends, a celebration or any occasion where one bottle simply doesn’t feel like quite enough.
It is a wonderful match for roast beef, lamb, duck, rich mushroom dishes and hearty winter cooking, but the wine’s elegance means it can also happily take centre stage on its own.
A beautiful Bordeaux, a generous format and a wine with plenty of life ahead of it.
One Magnum. Two bottles’ worth of Château Martet. A very good reason to gather around the table.
