La Goulée

This is a new project of Michel Reybier, owner of Cos d'Estournel, from eight hectares of mostly old cabernet sauvignon vines on a gravelly terrace up the Gironde, about 20 miles north of Cos d'Estournel. Jean-Guillaume Prats is in charge of vinification, as he is at Cos d'Estournel. The grapes were brought to St. Estephe in refrigerated trucks to be vinified. The objective is to produce a modern, forward, silky wine, said Prats, who added that Goulee will be a brand, not a chateau, and will be labeled, simply, Medoc. (More vineyards may be added in the future.) At the time of my tasting, Prats was estimating that the first release would retail for about $30. Reybier could not have picked a better vintage to launch this wine than the 2003, which was at its best in the Northern Medoc.