2016 Paul & Remy Tempranillo

Hole-in-One Bargain of 500 Wines Tasted

Par for the course is tasting over 500 wines in a weekend. A hole-in-one? That ace is this 2016 Paul & Rémy Tempranillo from Aragon, which I discovered at ProWein in Dusseldorf, Germany this past March. Amidst a sea of some 6,870 wineries from 64 countries I ran into an old friend — Pierre Courdurié — owner of Robert Parker-favorite Château Croix de Labrie in Saint-Émilion. Pierre was raving about Christophe Chapillon’s Paul & Rémy reds. “You won’t believe the prices when you taste the quality,” he said, as he dragged me through the crowd to Chapillon’s table. He was right. This Tempranillo is rich and creamy wild black fruit flavors courtesy of the gnarled, mature bush-trained vines grown in Aragon, southeast of Rioja — the source of many of Spain’s greatest bargains. None more so than this Paul & Rémy lush and delicious red, all thanks to Christophe’s French savoir-faire. 

The best thing about events like ProWein, other than discovering amazing wines from unexpected places, is running into winemaker friends from all over the world. More often than not, these friends are the ones who make it possible to cut through the noise of nearly 7,000 winemakers by leading me straight to the wines I need to taste.  

Christophe Chapillon has spent some 20 years producing stunningly affordable Tempranillo of exceptional quality. Chapillon has brought the savoir-faire of a French winemaking family to the vastly underrated region of Aragon, southeast of Rioja, where his Tempranillo vines are grown in stony, lime-heavy soils. The resulting wines are aged six months in oak prior to bottling, and are what Christophe affectionately calls “vin d’amis” — a wine for friends.

It was a good friend, Pierre Courdurié — owner of Robert Parker-favorite Château Croix de Labrie in Saint-Émilion, who led me to my first taste of Christophe’s wines.  Christophe’s Paul & Remy Tempranillo, named after his two sons, showcases a rich and creamy palate, with gorgeous wild black fruit and toasted notes.

It has the character and the price to be opened at any time — with great pleasure, and without regrets. I sincerely hope that the Wine Access members who jump on this remarkable value lock into at least a case. You’ll be grateful.

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

• ABV 14.50%
• 1 hour
• Drink Up
• % Tempranillo
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork