Château Lesquireau Desse, Haut-Médoc

Every so often I’m reminded that most wine lovers, including most sommeliers I know, don’t have wine cellars. Orson Welles may have said “we will drink no wine before its time,” but let’s face it: It happens way more than any of us would like. It truly is the next level of wine appreciation to buy and store bottles for future consumption—which is why we’re eternally grateful to the merchants of Bordeaux for doing it for us. There’s no other red wine region in the world with so many perfectly stored, well-priced aged bottles to be had, so yes, of course we go nuts for wines like today’s 2011 Haut-Médoc from Château Lesquireau Desse.Who wouldn’t want to drink a decade-old Left Bank Bordeaux, a wine right in its sweet spot, at this bargain price? I know I never pass up the chance, especially when the wine is such an authentic, old-school treat. There’s a tremendous amount of souped-up, consultant-engineered Bordeaux out there these days, but as luxurious and technically sound as they may