Châtreau Citran is a cru bourgeois located in Avensan, in that part of the Haut-Médoc appellation between Margaux and Saint Julien, inland from Margaux and bordering on Moulis.
This large estate (100 hectares of vines) belonged to the Miailhe family for many years, then to a Japanese group, and finally to the Merlaut family (of Gruaud-Larose, Haut Bages Liberal, Ferrière, Chasse-Spleen, etc.) who have been owners since 1996.
The imposing château building, dating from the 1860s, was designated a listed historic monument by the French government in 2012.
Grape varieties are 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc and the wine sees 30% new oak each vintage.
Producing some 350,000 bottles of wine a year, Coufran is a well-known inexpensive Médoc. Peacocks wandering around the château grounds account for an illustration of on the label.
2016 is a great vintage and the finest Bordeaux are still far from their peak. However, I was tempted to open up this mid-range wine to have with Sunday lunch.
I decanted the wine (little sediment) two hours before a meal of roast lamb.
The color was very deep, along with purple and the beginning of bricking on the rim. On the whole, it looked younger than its age. The nose was unmistakably Médoc – suave, with hints of blackcurrant, prune, lead pencil, dark chocolate and forest floor. This bouquet was not particularly deep, but very satisfying.
The wine was rather different on the palate. The initial roundness gave way to a very assertive taste with teeth-coating tannin and marked acidity. The overall impression was of a medium-bodied, slightly rustic wine from the Margaux appellation. There were attractive cassis nuances, but also a certain greenness.
I had expected a more easy-going, commercial sort of wine and instead encountered a relatively uncompromising old-fashioned Médoc that is still a few years away from its peak.
That a wine in this price bracket can show such character and potential speaks well for Bordeaux.
This 2016 Citran is also an excellent example of a wine that, if taken on its own, might be judged harshly, but that comes into its own at a meal.
I might add that the wine was not nearly as interesting aromatically the next day, although the tannin was noticeably softer.