When the first ranked Cru Bourgeois classification came out in 2003 it seemed custom tailored to honor Chateau Poujeaux. The classification was intended to recognize the "best of the rest" left bank Chateaux that had fallen outside of the 1855 classification and with near universal acclaim for an unclassified estate, Poujeaux became one of the first nine Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels to sit at the top of the ranking. And then, because this is Bordeaux we're talking about, by 2008 political disagreements lead Poujeaux (and others) to withdraw from the classification entirely. So it goes that Moulis-en-Medoc's flagship winery is once again relegated to those in the know willing to dig beyond the admittedly convenient rankings.

The blend varies by year but usually clocks in at just under 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot/ Cabernet Franc. A modest 12 months in 40% new barrique gives the wine a classic Bordelaise profile: slightly green pepper notes, red berries and blackberries, with a delicate embroidery of mocha, vanilla, and toasted cedar. - WP