A Bordeaux created for one of New York’s most legendary restaurants Delmonico Bordeaux Supérieur was created in honour of Delmonico’s restaurant in New York an institution often described as America’s first fine dining restaurant. The Delmonico brothers’ story began in 1827 with a small café and pastry shop. Their grand restaurant later became famous for its luxurious dining room, extraordinary wine cellar and signature Delmonico Steak: a thick-cut, boneless rib-eye served with rich Delmonico potatoes. This Bordeaux was designed to complement that famous dish. Its ripe dark fruit, structured tannins and savoury oak make it a natural partner for steak, grilled meats and long dinners around the table. Made at Château Lescalle Delmonico is produced at Château Lescalle, a historic family property located in Macau, near the southern boundary of the Haut-Médoc and close to Margaux. The château was built in 1875 by Emmanuel Tessandier, a Bordeaux banker who later served as Mayor of Macau. The estate entered the Tessandier family in 1930 and remains connected to the family’s portfolio of Médoc properties. Its vineyards lie just outside the official Haut-Médoc appellation boundary. For that reason, the wine carries the broader Bordeaux Supérieur AOC, even though it comes from the same prized northern Médoc area and classic Bordeaux varieties. What does Bordeaux Supérieur mean? Bordeaux Supérieur is not simply a marketing term. Wines using this appellation must follow stricter production requirements than standard Bordeaux AOC, including lower permitted yields, grapes harvested at greater ripeness and a minimum period of maturation. This generally creates wines with greater concentration, structure and ageing potential while retaining Bordeaux’s characteristic elegance and freshness. The 2020 blend Delmonico brings together four traditional Bordeaux grapes: 65% Merlot provides plum, blackberry, softness and a rounded texture. 20% Cabernet Sauvignon brings cassis, structure and firm tannins. 10% Cabernet Franc contributes fragrance, herbs and freshness. 5% Petit Verdot adds colour, spice and additional depth. Merlot leads the blend, making the wine generous and approachable, while the Cabernet varieties give it the structure required to stand beside rich food and develop further in the bottle. The vineyard and its special soil The grapes come from vineyards at Château Lescalle planted on palus soils. Palus is a traditional Bordeaux term for fertile, river deposited soils found beside the Gironde and Garonne waterways. These soils typically contain rich clay and alluvial material, creating excellent conditions for Merlot while giving the wine generosity, depth and supple fruit. The clay retains moisture during Bordeaux’s warmer months, helping the grapes ripen evenly while preserving freshness and balance. How is it made? After harvest, the grapes are completely destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. During fermentation, the juice is pumped over the grape skins several times each day. This process, known as remontage, gently extracts colour, flavour and tannin over a long maceration period of approximately three to four weeks. The wine is then matured for 24 months in French oak barriques, with approximately 30% new barrels. This extended ageing gives Delmonico its notes of cedar, roasted coffee, cocoa and sweet spice while allowing the tannins to soften and integrate. The remaining seasoned barrels preserve the ripe fruit and prevent the oak from completely dominating the wine. What does it taste like? Brilliant ruby in the glass, Delmonico opens with concentrated aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, black plum and dark cherry. As it develops, the fruit is joined by cedar, graphite, toasted oak and roasted coffee, with deeper notes of dark chocolate, nutmeg, tobacco and a subtle touch of caramel. The palate is rich and full-bodied, with ripe Merlot fruit supported by structured yet polished tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot provide grip and depth, while Cabernet Franc brings freshness and aromatic lift. The finish is long, savoury and warming, with lingering flavours of cassis, coffee, dark chocolate and spice. Old World elegance with New World generosity This is a wonderful Bordeaux for drinkers accustomed to Australian Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet-Merlot blends. It has the dark fruit and concentration Australian red drinkers enjoy, but with a more savoury Old World personality: less jammy sweetness, more cedar, graphite, tobacco and structure. The Merlot-dominant blend makes it approachable now, while two years in French oak gives it depth, polish and the ability to continue developing. It is generous enough for lovers of richer reds, elegant enough for traditional Bordeaux drinkers and one of our easiest recommendations for a special steak dinner.
