Château Falfas Côte de Bourg AOC Biodynamic

Côte de Bourg AOC, France

John and Véronique Cochran's biodynamic Château Falfas is Bourg's most philosophically committed estate — farming without chemicals on the appellation's finest limestone-clay hillside since 1993. The wine shows earthy, mineral Merlot character with genuine personality: dark plum, dried herb, iron-clay mineral, and a long, savoury finish that rewards cellaring.

Pairing intelligence

• main: The classic Bordelais braise — slow-cooked lamb in local wine — with Bourg's biodynamic Merlot: the preparation's herbs and the wine's earth character are in perfect alignment
• fish course: The Gironde estuary's most famous delicacy — lamprey cooked in red Bordeaux wine — is traditionally paired with local red wine. An ancient Gascon tradition unique to the Gironde tidal waterway.