Reclos De La Couronne – Bob Perkins Cuvee 2022

If there were ever a wine that captured the very heart of Art In A Glass, this is it — because here, the winemaker truly is the artist, and the wine is his art.

One of my greatest joys in Bordeaux has been my friendship with Thomas Thieu, owner of Château La Couronne and a consistent maker of great wine. Over lunch one summer, Thomas turned to me and said, “You are not a professional, but you have a good palate. We should make a Bob Perkins blend.” I was blown away. When I first came to Bordeaux, I had two dreams: to dine at one of the grand châteaux, and to one day have a wine with my name on it. The first came true a decade ago. Now, impossibly, the second was within reach.

That December I flew to Bordeaux to blend my wine. I had pictured a relaxed afternoon in Thomas’ cellar — sipping, discussing, blending at our leisure. The reality was far more serious: thirty bottles, each drawn from a different barrel of 2022 Reclos de la Couronne, carried into a laboratory where we tasted alongside two oenologists from the renowned Michel Rolland consultancy. Batch by batch, I chose my favorites under the watchful eye of professionals who advise some of the finest winemakers in the world. Then, for two and a half intense, exhilarating hours, Thomas and I blended and tasted and blended again until the final Cuvée was decided. It was one of the most incredible days of my entire wine adventure.

When I asked the consultant whether any other American had ever had his name on a bottle of Bordeaux, he answered: “No. Maybe ever.”

This is, through and through, a “Bob Wine” — 100% Merlot, with dark fruit in beautiful balance against the right-bank mineral terroir that is the hallmark of a great St. Émilion. It is classic Reclos de la Couronne, but with an unmistakable Bob Perkins character all its own. I tasted it for the first time at Thomas’ chai, anxious it might not live up to the dream. Thomas took his sip, looked at me, and said simply, “j’adore.” It is a wine I am proud beyond words to share with the members who have walked this twenty-year journey with us.