2005 Chateau de Launay Bordeaux Superieur

Ah...tonight I need to relax a bit, and that calls for a glass of nice red wine.  Today I received 4 bottles via Fedex from my favorite online wine merchant, WTSO so I am trying a bottle tonight.  This one is a 2005 Launay Bordeaux Superieur, which comes from a very solid vintage for bordeaux.  The Chateau is located on the highest point of the Gironde, a place known for Saint-Emilion, with exceptional chalky clay soils.

Since living in Seattle and learning to love the many Bordeaux blends from the Columbia Valley, the nose on this wine hit me with a definite sense of familiarity.  A blend of around 90% merlot, and the balance cabernet, this wine exudes aromas earth and leather with just a hint of dark coffee.  As for taste, it's a medium body, and really quite dry, as to be expected from a true French bordeaux, with hints of cherry, tobacco and cassis.  This is the type of wine where the nose adds so much to the taste, that it should not be consumed with any sort of nasal congestion!  Overall a wonderful blend, a wine I could spend hours on a porch enjoying on a spring afternoon.  Overall I would rate this one a solid 8, particularly given the value price of just $11!  À votre santé