The Gaudrie family has owned Château Villars for seven generations. New winemaking techniques have enhanced ancestral traditions and improved the quality of each vintage. Situated on southwest facing slopes overlooking the Isle River Valley, these vines thrive in chalky clay soil with a significant amount of sandstone in the subsoil. This lends the grapes lovely balance. Averaging 35 years of age, the 30 hectares under vines are planted with 73% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon.

After being harvested by hand, the grapes are vinified in traditional cement vats. Each vat is tasted throughout the month of November and after a rigorous selection, the wine goes into aged oak barrels. It undergoes traditional fining with egg whites and is not filtered before bottling. The wine rests for another 6-8 months in the bottle prior to release and shipping. Château Villars also produces a 2nd label, Château Moulin-Haut-Villars.

The 2003 Château Villars is a beautiful, deep, ruby red in the glass with shimmering highlights. The nose is filled with lovely blueberry notes, supple oak tones and earthy nuances of wet clay. The palate is filled with buoyant red fruit, while a dusting of minerality plays off the ripe tannins. A young but surprisingly velvety red that is ideal with sweetbreads, baked ham, veal chops or grilled T-bone steaks.

—Donald