Chateau Picard Saint Estephe 2020 750ml

Ever since The Next Generation introduced the fact that Picard’s family owned a winery in France called Château Picard, wine buffs and Trekkies alike have wanted to get their hands on and corkscrews into some vintage red French red from the future. In real life, there is a winery called Château Picard in Saint-Estèphe, France. In Trek lore, despite having an English accent, Picard was born in Labarrère, France which is about two hours away from Saint-Estèphe, but surely quicker if you’re beaming. But where you can you get the wine if you live in America? And is it the same wine — or close to the same wine — that Picard has in the new show?

The answer is: you can get the wine, but it’s different.

Château Picard puts out what is called a Saint-Estèphe. (most big French wines are named for the places they are made, hence real Champagne is from Champagne, France.) In terms of grape varietals, the Château Picard Saint-Estèphe is 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent merlot. It’s aged in oak barrels for 14 months but spends as long as 15 years on the vine before that.

• Country: France
• Region: Bordeaux
• Appellation: Saint Estephe
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Red Bordeaux

There are few regions in the world with stricter regulations in regards to wine production and grape varietals than those found in Bordeaux, France. Here, in the home of the world’s finest wines, the type and quality of grapes used is of utmost importance, and the legendary wineries which work on the banks of the Gironde river have mastered the careful art of juice blending to find the perfect balance for their produce. Whilst there are six ‘official’ Bordeaux grapes, the two key varietals for almost every fine Bordeaux wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and with good reason. Whilst Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are renowned for their acidity and astringency, strong fruit and spice flavors and full body, Merlot grapes are notably rounded, soft, fleshy and lighter on tannin. The combination of these two varietals, along with a small percentage of (commonly) Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc, is the perfect balancing act ”“ the two grape varietals cancel out each others weaker points, and accentuate all that is good about the other.