2022 Arbalest Red Wine Bordeaux

In Napa, if you’re bestowed with a 100-point score, all heads turn and suddenly you’re on speed dial for every Silicon Valley wine enthusiast. Land another perfect score and you can start thinking about the color of the first Aston Martin you’re going to buy. But if you’re like winemaker Benoit Touquette, a French native, all the points in Napa don’t matter back home, and you want to prove yourself in France to round out your bona fides.

When we talked to Benoît about his venture into Bordeaux, Touquette was adamant about one thing: quality. “I travel around Europe and France a lot,” he told me, “and I’m always disappointed with the quality of the red table wines I encounter. So, I made it my personal goal to make Arbalest a wine at the same price as French table wine, but of exceptional quality that appeals to a global wine drinker.”

When he set out to make a value red from Bordeaux he sought a partner of equal tenacity, with the best growers in Europe on her speed dial: importer impresario Kimberly Jones. Together, they have brought Arbalest to life. Touquette brings the precision of a perfectionist winemaker and Jones has red carpet access to unprecedented fruit sources of superior quality.

2022 is going to go down as an absolutely legendary year in Bordeaux. “A Place Beyond Praise” is how Vinous titled their report on the vintage, and they declared “the 2022 vintage serves as a timely reminder that when Bordeaux fires on all cylinders, it is untouchable.” It was a warm, sunny year that Benoît managed to harness perfectly, with lush textures, plenty of fruit, and delightful vibrancy.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.30%
• 1 hour
• Now – 2030
• 60% Merlot40% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Serving temperature – 58°
• Cork