“You hardly need me to tell you that this is one to watch.” Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux From the Thienpont family (of Le Pin fame) comes this wonderful value from the stunning Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. Acquired by the Thienponts in 2015, L'Hêtre is an organically-farmed 27-hectare estate east of Saint-Émilion, and is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wines are fermented naturally in concrete vats and aged in French oak of various formats. With winemaking now in the hands of the highly regarded Antoine Mariau, the wines are extremely smart and are only getting better and better as the Thienpont family and Mariau learn more about this extraordinarily pretty place. The wines already showcase the very best of Castillon: intense, expressive and pure, with the structure to age and the accessibility to drink young. The wine labels feature illustrations directly inspired by the estate's name (L'Hêtre meaning "beech" in French), in keeping with the arboreal theme of the Thienpont's properties (Le Pin meaning "pine" and L'If meaning "yew"). We are delighted to introduce these wines to the Bibendum portfolio. At these price points, the esteemed Thienpont name has never been more accessible.