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!

2003 Château des Annereaux Lalande de Pomerol

So as I am fond of saying, tonight I've decided to take a different approach and crack open a bottle of Bordeaux from the 2003 vintage.  I bought this bottle a few weeks ago at the World Market on clearance for $20.88, though I'm not entirely convinced that was such a great bargain, but what the heck, I figured I like Bordeaux and this one is old enough that it should be drinking nicely by now. 

Now the Lalande de Pomerol appellation is just north of the Pomerol appellation, to the east of the Gironde, and the wines tend to be dominated by Merlot, which is the case with this wine.  The 2003 Château des Annereaux Lalande de Pomerol is a blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%).

The wine is a fairly bright ruby in the glass, and the nose is unmistakably Bordeaux with aromas of sweet red fruit, tar and a bit of cedar.  The taste has very subdued fruit, with hints of cassis giving way to cola and black pepper flavors midpalate.  The tannins are very well structured, giving this wine a lovely smooth, dry finish that you'd expect from a nice Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 7.5, as it's a lovely wine but the price is somewhat aggressive, even at a marked down $21.  Tonight I am, yet again, taking a different approach and enjoying this wine with some wonderful Cajun dirty rice, with spicy chicken habanero sausage, green peppers and red onions, a nice spicy dish that plays nicely on the rich, earthiness of this wine.  Bon appetit!