2011 Chateau de Portets Graves

What a wonderful Saturday, the last day of winter!  I was doing a lot of yard work this afternoon and now I'm ready for some relaxation and of course a glass of wine!  Tonight I've decided to go back to France, since it's been so long since I've had a nice Bordeaux, so I've opened a bottle of 2011 Chateau de Portets Graves.  For those unfamiliar with Bordeaux, the Graves appellation is on the left bank of the Garonne, upstream from the Gironde (where so many famous appellations like Margaux and Medoc come from) and the city of Bordeaux.  This particular wine comes from one of the oldest vineyards in Graves, originally planted by the Romans about 2,000 years ago, and it is a blend of Merlot (55%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (45%).

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass, with an inky purple toward the center.  The nose presents aromas of ripe red fruit, raspberries and red currant, along with some leather and lovely mineral notes.  The taste is a blast of red fruit up front, with cherry and raspberry that transitions almost subliminally to some lovely spice and mineral notes of basalt and dusty limestone midpalate.  The finish is just gorgeous, with some firm tannins from the Cabernet supporting the long, supple and exceptionally dry finish, with just a hint of classic Bordeaux funk at the end.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's still a bit young but is drinking very nicely now, and like so many Bordeaux, this one was a terrific value at just $17 from Wines Till Sold Out.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic French bistro dinner of steak frites!  A grilled petite ribeye with some fresh cut fries and Bearnaise!  Bon appetit!