Clos Lunelles, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux

When a superstar wine family decides to put down roots in a lesser-known region, you can be sure I’ll be paying attention. Perhaps the best example I can give is Burgundy’s Lafon family—Meursault royalty—venturing south of their base in Meursault into the less-expensive precincts of the Mâcon. Lafon pedigree at a Mâcon price? We grab every bottle we can, just as we did with today’s decade-old Bordeaux beauty from Clos Lunelles, which is part of an impressive portfolio of châteaux (including the famed Château Pavie) owned by the Perse family.The sight of “Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux” may have you reaching for a map, but let me save you the trouble: The growing zone neighbors Saint-Émilion on Bordeaux’s Right Bank, and its best vineyards occupy the same clay/limestone plateau. So, you know what I’m going to say next: The Perses have the real estate, and the know-how, for transcendent Right Bank Bordeaux, as evidenced by today’s brilliant 2011. Being able to source back vintages of Clos L