Another example of the wealth of fairly priced wines that Bordeaux produces once one gets past the trophy wines. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has spice and cherries. Light tannins. On the palate, cherries with some tobacco and spice. Good balance. This drinks well on its own and will work well with meat, fowl and pork. Lamb stew would be perfect. Drink over the next five to eight years.
The 2005's are really starting to come into their own now and this is one more data point supporting that. This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, char, slight cigar box, leather and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is complex. Flavors of cassis and black cherries, slight leather and char. Great balance. Long finish. This is about at peak but should stay there for another ten years. Nice on its own, but better with food. This would wo
This has always been one of my favorite value Bordeaux wines almost always hitting above its weight class. This is no exception. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has some nice funk with black cherries, and slight green bell pepper. Medium bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, black cherries, some cherries with just a hint of bell pepper and black pepper. Nice balance. Nice finish. This needs some time and food to shine. Give it a nice decant or a few years in the cellar. Drink over the next ten. It will work well with a beef stew or cassoulet.
This is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc that sees 100% new oak. . Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, cherries, spice and slight cigar. Medium bodied. On the palate, cherries, some black cherries and underlying earthy tobacco notes. Moderate finish. This will work better with food than on its own. Slow cooked, braised beef or lamb would work well. Drink over the next five to seven years.
In a great place right now. Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, tobacco, balsamic and spice. Full bodied. On the palate, this is pretty close to mature. Cassis, spice, with underlying earthiness. Great balance. Light tannins. Nice finish. This should drink well for another ten to fifteen years. It would match well with Lamb Stew.
Lots to say about this wine, but first, why it was opened. My friend Chris is about to retire. Way back in 1986 or so, Chris was convinced to spend $30 for a 375ml bottle of this wine. Since that time, he has waited for the right special occasion to open the bottle. Luckily for me (since I din't meet Chris until around 2010), this bottle is known to maturing at a glacial pace. He has moved all around the world waiting for the right time and place. My wife and I had dinner at Chris's home before he leaves town and goes to spend his retirement in Cape Cod. Chris opened the wine. What
