Friday, April 2, 2010

Report from ... Bordeaux “Walk Around Tasting” – March 31, 2010

What a difference a day makes – yesterday I was overwhelmed by a room full of Portuguese wines and not enough time or liver to taste through them all.  Today, a mere 24 hours later, I am in a room for a Bordeaux tasting, with only 21 wines to try – this should be a breeze.

They called it a “Walk Around Tasting” but with 21 wines on the table there was very little walking to be done; but after yesterday that suited me just fine.  The wines of Bordeaux were broken down by region and price point, all were available at the LCBO (most general list with 4 Vintages products).  Here were the gems:

Bordeaux …

Chateau Bonnet 2006 Red ($14.95 - #99044) – the nose and palate were pleasant: red fruit, pencil shavings and peppery. (****)

Mouton Cadet 2008 White ($13.45 - #2527) – mainly grapefruit nose; the palate was a little more complex: fruity with peach, grapefruit and a touch of pear on the finish.

Christian Moueix 2005 Merlot ($15.95 - #961227) – blackberry and black cherry intermingle on the nose while on the palate there’s a nice balance of acidity and tannins. (****)

Bordeaux Superior …

Chateau Pey La Tour Reserve 2007 ($19.95 - #925859) – nice fruit, nice tannins, good acidity; this wine is tasty and food friendly. (****)

Medoc …

Chateau Argenteyre ($24.75 - #117655) – blackberry and cassis with nice spice, good tannins and stand out acidity. (****)

Puisseguin Saint-Emilion …

Chateau des Laurets 2007 ($19.30 - #371401) – this was the best wine of the tasting, lots of good red fruit, hints of vanilla, nutmeg and a bit of wood to balance it all together … very smooth and tasty. (****½)

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