Stéphane Dereroncourt grew up in a family of steelworkers in Dunkirk and came to Bordeaux almost thirty years ago. Stéphane worked a few vintages as a picker and learned how to make wine in the vines rather than the viticole. Dereroncourt’s first vintage was 1982 in Fronsac, and ten years later he began consulting at the prestigious Château Pavie Macquin. A few vintages after this he befriended Comte Stephan von Neipperg, owner of Château Canon La Gaffeliere in St. Emilion, who was impressed enough to hire the young winemaker on as a consultant. Neipperg’s confidence in Dereroncourt’s abilities was borne out with the 1996 vintage of the cult Bordeaux, La Mondotte, which earned world-wide acclaim. Stéphane Dereroncourt is the consulting oenologist at Clos Puy Arnaud and has been involved with the property for almost a decade. Clos Puy Arnaud domain's owner, Thierry Valette is committed to creating extraordinary wines in Côtes de Castillon and under Stéphane Derenoncourt’s advice, has opted to use biodynamic winemaking methods and to drop his yields. These efforts were crowned with success when Robert Parker classified Clos Puy Arnaud among the first 13 domains of the appellation. Previous vintages of Clos Puy Arnaud have earned sterling accolades throughout Europe and from Wine Spectator, Robert Parker and Steven Tanzer. In addition, we at PJ’s are huge fans of Thierry Valette and Stéphane Derenoncourt’s continuing collaboration and have been for quite a few vintages. This is a perennial favorite with the staff and among our Bordeaux loving customers.

The best vineyards throughout Côtes de Castillon—and Clos Puy Arnaud certainly falls into that category—shined in the ’06 vintage. The ’06 just arrived in the store and I had the pleasure of enjoying this affordable gem last night with a grilled skirt steak. Deep ruby in the glass with striking violet hues and an elaborate nose of red currant, strawberry jam, a touch of coffee and a smoky note of chocolate. The palate opens with notes of fresh blackberry and red berry flavors that are backed by a note of juicy plum and a touch of black cherry pit. The middle palate contains moderate acidity and a fair amount of elbowing tannins, which gradually diminished as the wine aerated in the decanter over the course of a few hours. Pretty notes of oak frame the lingering red fruit and coffee notes that ride out on the lingering finish. Decant and drink now with grilled red meats, pork loin, beef stew or hold for five years.

“Once again, Thierry Valette has raised the bar in this appellation and crafted one of the top values of the vintage. From the up-and-coming region of CÔtes de Castillon, the 2006 Clos Puy Arnaud offers beautifully expressed aromas. It is crimson in color and the nose shows good intensity with notes of red berry combined with flowers and earthy minerals. The balanced palate expands gently toward a soft, fruity and lingering finish. A very pleasant wine. Highly recommended.”– PJ92

—Donald