Maltus unveils new single vineyard Bordeaux

Jonathan Maltus, owner of Château Teyssier, has launched his latest single vineyard Bordeaux – ‘Le Pontet’ – with a Napa-like distribution system.

Like the other single vineyard offerings in his stable such as the celebrated ‘Le Dome’, Le Pontet is made from a plot in Saint Emilion – in this instance a site just over a hectare in size on the plateau located next to châteaux Fonroque and Grand Pontet and planted with old vines.

The first release of Le Pontet will be the 2015 vintage – the wine was first put together in 2014 but under another name – and is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc.

Initial impressions of the wine have been positive, Richard Voss of Wine Enthusiast commented on its richness and concentration as well as “impressive freshness”, while Chris Kissack noted: “This has been a wise buy for Jonathan, as this is a great addition to the portfolio.”

Production is a tiny 300 cases and, interestingly, Maltus has decided to eschew a more traditional en primeur route to market for Le Pontet, imitating instead a Napa-like model.

British wine merchant and ‘club’ ‘Honest Grapes’ has secured the entire 300 case allocation for Le Pontet and will sell the wine directly to its ‘Grand Crew’ members and affiliates at a maximum of two cases per buyer.

Priced at £1,080 per dozen (in bond), buyers will be encouraged to sign up to a three-year period (for £3,240), which will guarantee them a case a year through to the 2017 vintage. The deal also includes “privileged direct access” to other wines in the Maltus stable and “exclusive” wine tasting experiences held in the US, UK and Bordeaux.

The case can be converted to magnums at no extra cost and those buyers who decide to double up to take two cases a year will be able to convert to double magnums, imperials, Salmanazars or a Melchior at substantially reduced costs.

Honest Grapes’ wine director, Tom Harrow, commented: “When Jonathan Malthus of Château Teyssier approached us last year with an exciting new project, we jumped at the opportunity.

“Given Jonathan consistently scores 97-100 points in good vintages, managing to impress both American and British critics equally, we feel very confident this will be a superb and unique addition to portfolios.”

The offer from Honest Grapes is open to buyers globally. Director, Nathan Hill, told the drinks business: “A substantial proportion of the 300 case / three year allocation has already been sold ahead of the Bordeaux 2015 en primeur season, although we do still have some to sell.”