2009 Château Tour des Termes Saint-Estephe Cru Bourgeois

So tonight I've decided to open up another young Bordeaux from the super terrific happy hour 2009 vintage!  I've opened a bottle of Château des Termes Saint-Estephe, which depending on my rusty interpretation of the French label is a smaller estate that's been owned and operated by the same family for 5 generations.  Also based on my translation, the wine possesses the structure of a much bigger Saint-Estephe, but with the fruit of a much softer wine - their secret, equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot!  Looks like that four years of high school French is still paying off!

The wine itself has a deep, inky purple color, and the nose is pure Bordeaux!  Smoky aromas of leather, oak and dark chocolate.  The taste is absolutely wonderful, with black pepper and spices surrounding rich ripe plum and black currants, transitioning to a bit of anise and then finishing with some remarkably well structured tannins and a long, dry finish comparable to many, much more highly acclaimed wines.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, which is pretty darn high for a 3-year-old Bordeaux!  It's a good value for what it is, but not for the under-a-sawbuck crowd, I bought this for $25 from Wines Till Sold Out, and plan on cellaring the remaining few bottles as they are likely to improved in a few years.  Tonight I am enjoying this bottle with a wonderful summer dinner of grilled pork chops with lemon pepper marinade, some sweet potato fries and steamed veggies, yum!