2009 Chateau St. Jacques La Croix Lalande de Pomerol

Well, I've been raking leaves for six hours straight and by all accounts I should be passed out somewhere, but alas I am really looking forward to Sunday dinner, so why not open a nice bottle of wine to enjoy as well?  Tonight it's the 2009 Chateau St. Jacques La Croix Lalande de Pomerol, an appellation just north of Pomerol with lots of clay soil ideal for Merlot.  And that's a good think since this wine is a blend of Merlot (90%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%).

The wine is a deep garnet in the glass with very nice clarity.  The nose presents aromas of ripe fruit, blackberry, plum and cassis along with some earthy mineral notes.  The taste is quite nice, a nice bit of fruit up front, blackberry, plum and cherry that transition nicely to some earth notes of cedar and dusty limestone midpalate.  The fine tannins support a velvety mouthfeel and a long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's drinking quite nicely and it was a tremendous value at just $19 from Wines Till Sold Out.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a special Sunday dinner treat of surf & turf!  I am having a petite prime filet mignon with snow crab legs, baked potato and steamed asparagus.  The fruit and mineral aspects of this wine are a perfect balance to the richness of the crab.  Cheers!