The Cuvée Achile Story

What makes a great wine? The answer is, it depends, and it is not singular.

When it comes to grape varieties like pinot noir, often the consensus is a great Pinot is a wine that is all about finesse and elegance. But what about a Bordeaux blend (Meritage)? Some may argue for a wine of large proportion and power while others insist a wine of balance is what makes it great. We strived to capture both of these elusive qualities in Cuvée Achile, and if we may say so, we have succeeded with a masculine wine that can move and glide with a remarkable tautness and balance.

We are fortunate to have several individual old vine plots in various sub-regions (all with different soil origin, soil type, elevation, and exposure) growing these varieties. After extended ageing in barrel, we pull only the absolute finest lots, put on our silk gloves, and start the assemblage like a mad scientist. The goal is to compose a wine that will stop novices and experienced tasters alike in their tracks. A wine that wows on the nose, on the attack, mid-palate, and finish. From the get-go, we want to have the beholder experience all of the feelings and know right off the bat that they are in the presence of true greatness. Easier said than done; you cannot just put the best of the best together and expect the results to be great. Synergistic ingredients need to come together in the “right” proportions, just like cooking classic recipes, and then aged as a blend for a while longer before they come together; a countless number of hypothetical blends are done before we are satisfied with the final blend.

Cuvée Achile is meant to be a long hauler; a wine that will age and improve considerably over time in the cellar. While we don’t have the track record to speak with 100% confidence that these wines will go past the 20-year mark of ageing, we grew them with that intention and goal in mind; wines that you collect for the birth of your children and then share with them in their adulthood. Having said that, if you find curiosity getting the best of you and need to check in on these sleeping beasts, then we strongly recommend a slow decant in the morning for that day’s dinner.

In an ideal world, you would have at least a 3-pack of this wine and open one in its youth to appreciate the temper tantrums and endless energy of a teenager; a 6-pack would be even better, allowing you to check in on the wine again in the mid-term. The rest of your stash deserves to be forgotten about and left to slumber for a decade or more; only then it will magically transform from an unassuming caterpillar to a majestic monarch butterfly that will dazzle and woo.

Tasting notes:

A mighty powerful knock-out nose like a Mike Tyson haymaker. Cigar box, pencil lead shavings and Japanese dry sauna notes mix and mingle with grilled meat and bell pepper aromas wafting off the grill. Cassis and sublime blackberry notes weave in and out of the otherwise savoury and meaty profile. On the palate, Cuvée Achile is a force to be reckoned with. Like Joe Frazier’s jabs, this wine keeps coming at you in waves and the intention to destroy your tastebuds. The progression on the palate is like Muhammad Ali gliding in the ring like a butterfly. Cuvée Achile is old-fashioned raw milk compared to the world of 1% and 2% fat milk. The weight on the mid-palate will make your tongue feel heavy and collapse in your mouth while the finish lasts so long that you may give up counting the seconds on your stopwatch. This monumental wine is the result of our passion and never-ending commitment to push the envelope of making the very best wine possible; this wine is our dream since the start of our venture nearly two decades ago.

Food pairing:

When it comes to grand wines like Cuvée Achile, one must allow the wine to take center stage and the glory. We recommend a dry-aged cut of steak, pan-fried in garlic and rosemary and then finished in the oven. Let the wine go to work and show its magic against a beautifully well-prepared dish.