2015 Château La Tour De Mons Margaux

Happy Cellar Saturday!  It's the first Saturday of the new month, so time to raid the cellar for something at least a decade in the making.  Tonight, I've opened a classic Bordeaux, the 2015 Château La Tour De Mons Margaux, which I think I bought perhaps five years ago, though I don't recall where I bought it.  This wine is a classic Cabernet focused Bordeaux blend from the left bank of Gironde, so let's see how it's tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a classic Bordeaux.  The nose presents aromas of leather, tar, lilac and cherry, the classic earthy funk of Bordeaux.  Take a sip and your palate is awash in ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum that transition easily to some earthy notes of smoke, oak, dusty limestone and tar midpalate.  The tannins are expertly crafted, providing a classic Bordeaux dry finish that will have you forgetting you were even drinking wine.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a classic Margaux and such a pleasure to enjoy with a great meal or just sipping with friends.  This wine would pair well with braised lamb shank or beef short ribs, classic steak au poivre or hearty stew.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared, grass fed New York strip with sautéed onions and peppers, oven roasted purple potatoes and bacon roasted Brussels sprouts.  Cheers!

2010 Château la Tour de Bessan Margaux

Happy Independence Day weekend!  It's also the first Saturday of a new month, which makes this Cellar Saturday. that magical time when I raid the cellar for something at least a decade in the making to enjoy.  Tonight I've opened a special bottle, one that's been in my cellar for more than a decade and one which longevity makes a masterful difference.  The 2010 Château la Tour de Bessan Margaux is a classic example of a high quality Bordeaux that need ample time in the cellar to fully develop.  So, let's see how this wine has developed over the past decade!

Thw wine is a deep ruby color at the center, in what could also be taken for black when looking down in the glass.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of black cherry, cardamom and oak with undertones of black plum and star anise, giving you a hint of the old world classic flavors you're about to imbibe.  Take a sip and you're greeted with a rush of ripe, candied fruit up front, cherries, blackberries and currant that transition to some wonderful mineral notes of basalt, dusty limestone and classic Bordeaux funk midpalate.  The tannins are classically structured in an old word style creating a long, smooth dry finish that makes you hardly think you've been drinking wine at all!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as this classic old world Margaux is just now reaching its peak.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dished and hard cheeses, from lamb chops to wild mushroom risotto. hearty steaks to hearty pasta dishes.  Tonight, I am  enjoying this wine with a class spring dinner of a rare grilled prime ribcap along with some linguine tossed with garlic, olive oil, broccoli rabe and asparagus topped with shaved parmesan.  Cheers!

2011 Chateau Grand Tayac Reserve Margaux

Happy Saturday!  So based on the weather forecast which called for rain and thunderstorms today, I rushed home to vacuum leaves and cut the grass before the deluge, and of course today has been the most beautiful day with sun and a high of 83!  So much for planning based on what the forecasters predict, but at least that gave me a relaxing day capped off with a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight it's a bottle I've been cellaring for a few years, as I just don't think some wines should be consumed early in their lives (you can see the review of the 2009 vintage here).  The 2011 Chateau Grand Tayac Reserve Margaux is a classic Bordeaux made from Cabernet Sauvignon (70%),  Merlot (27%) and Petit Verdot (3%) grown from 40-year-old vines right next to the Gironde.  So let's see how this one has developed!

The wine is a beautiful ruby color in the glass, a bit lighter than a typical American Cabernet, reflecting the old world style.  The nose is classic Bordeaux with a rush of leather, cherry and currant along with earthy undertones.  The taste is somewhat fruit forward, with some tart cherry and black currant that gives way to some mineral notes of dusty limestone and mocha midpalate.  The finish is lovely, with a reprise of earthy Bordeaux funk amid fine tannins that provide the structure for the long, smooth and exceptionally dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great example of the king of Bordeaux.  This wine would pair well with some soft cheeses, pasta, or a classic steak, which is great since tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled T-bone topped with grilled garlic scapes, a baked potato with all the trimmings and steamed green beans.  The earthy notes in the wine are perfect for a hearty steak!  Cheers!

2009 Chateau Grand Tayac Margaux

Well, it's Saturday night, time for a nice bottle of Bordeaux, and tonight its the king of Bordeaux, a Margaux from the stellar 2009 vintage, the 2009 Chateau Grand Tayac Margaux.  I recently bought a few bottles of this wine from Wines Till Sold Out, so why not try it?  This Margaux is a blend of classic Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (27%) and Petit Verdot (3%).

The wine is a lovely deep garnet color in the glass, with an almost inky black center.  The nose presents aromas of blackberry, cassis and mint with just a hint of earthy overtones.  The taste is a lovely fruit forward blast of ripe cherry and plum that transitions effortlessly to some earthy flavors of oak and limestone midpalate.  The tannins are still a bit tightly wound, but the finish is just lovely, earthy, long and dry, just as a nice Margaux should be!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, it's drinking well now, but could use a few more years in the cellar.  It was also an excellent value at about $30!  Tonight I am enjoying this classic French wine with a quintessential American meal of a rare grilled Angus ribeye, baked potato and steamed broccoli, yum!  A nice Bordeaux is always a pleasure to drink with steak, but this one would also pair well with some aged cheeses or charcuterie.  Sante!

2010 Chateau de Cantenac Brown Brio Margaux

Happy Mother's Day to all you fine mothers out there!  In honor of my mother who passed away in 2010, I've been planting flowers like crazy, first at the cemetery last Friday and today four flats of impatiens along the side of my house (four flats is officially 192 individual plants!).   Needless to say, I am tired now, a perfect time to open up a nice bottle of wine.  Tonight it's the 2010 Chateau de Cantenac Brown Brio Margaux, which is still young for a Margaux, but just old enough to open!

The wine is a deep inky purple in the glass, with some bright garnet along the edges.  The nose is a lush array of ripe black fruit, cherries, plum, blackberries, all over just the faintest hint of Bordeaux funk.  The taste offers some fruit at the outset which quickly subsides to some earthy notes of leather, anise and oak.  The finish is somewhat refined, but the young tannins are still tightly wound, though they don't inhibit the long, dry finish that lasts for 30 seconds or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it'd drinking nicely now, but will likely improved quite a bit over the next few years.  This wine was also a nice value from Wines Till Sold Out that I bought for just $25.  Tonight I am enjoying this first glass with my appetizer of fresh mussels sauteed in garlic and olive oil, which will be followed by a rare grilled Angus New York strip, baked potato and some grilled Brussels sprouts.  This is the perfect wine for a big steak, cheers!

2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux

Well, a year or so ago I had a blog post on this wine, but it was just a tease, as when I took delivery of my futures order the wine was much too young to enjoy, but now that we are nearly five years along, it's time to open up a bottle and see how the wine as developed!  The 2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux is a lovely blend of Cabernet Saivignon (54%) and Merlot (46%) by esteemed winemaker Marie Laure Lurton.

The wine is a lovely bright ruby color in the glass with great clarity. The nose is very earthy with great fruit, an array of cherries, blackberries and cassis envelope a base of oak, leather, Asian spice and just a hint of smokiness. The taste is still rather tightly wound, with a burst of tart cherry that transitions to some wonderful earthy mineral notes of dusty limestone and forest floor. The tannins are still a bit young, but supportive of a long, smooth, exceptionally dry finish. 

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8 with ample potential to improve with a little time in the cellar. I'm enjoying Thai first glass with a bit of aged Italian cheese and some olives as I prepared my dinner of wild Alaskan coho salmon baked with shallots and capers with a lemon dill cream sauce on the side, along with a baked potato and some steamed asparagus. Bon appetit!

2007 Labastide Dauzac Margaux

It's sunny and rather warm and humid here today, so it just struck me that this seems like a Margaux sort of afternoon, so I've decided to open a bottle of 2007 Labastide Dauzac Margaux to enjoy.  Now this is a rather young Margaux, though it does modestly exceed my minumum 5-year age requirement to even try a Margaux so we shall see how this goes!  The wine is a classic blend of Merlot (59%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (41%) which should provide some nice structure and backbone to this wine.

When I first opened this wine I was really thirsty, so I couldn't resist trying a bit and the Bordeaux "funk" that is so often present with great wines from the region was quite present, but if you are not a fan of the funk it subsides with a bit of breathing. Now it's been a couple hours, and the color is a generous ruby and the nose is a lovely combination of oak, earthy gravel, and a hint of hard cheese (perhaps the last gasp of funk!).  The taste is a lovely combination of subtle fruit flavors up front, with some blueberry and floral notes that transitions effortlessly to some earthy notes of forest floor (barnyard anyone?) and gravelly notes.  The finish is just pure Bordeaux, with an exceptionally smooth and dry finish that seems to last several minutes.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 9, as it's a great example of Margaux that's drinking well now, but could easily improve over the next two decades!  I was trying my best to figure out where I got this wine, and then I remembered it was from a tasting we did at Bar Divani in Grand Rapids, and I liked it there and bought a couple bottles for $38, which isn't a steal, but certainly for a good Margaux it's not a bad price!  Tonight I am pairing it with some tacos (come on, who else do you know that would pair Margaux with tacos?), though these are made with some smoked chorizo, roasted poblano peppers and some machego cheese, very simple, but the flavor combinations really bring out the beauty of this wine!  Salut!

2005 Clos du Val Napa Valley Merlot

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I just got back from the gym, so it's time to do a load of laundry and relax with a glass of wine.  Seems like a Merlot sort of day, so why not open a bottle of 2005 Clos du Val Napa Valley Merlot?  This one is a little more than your average Merlot, as it's a blend of Merlot (83%), Cabernet Franc (11%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (6%), so it's really more of a Bordeaux style blend, and from the nose, it's certainly reminiscent of many quality blends from Bordeaux.

The nose on this wine is very interesting, with some black fruit aromas up front, blackberries, plum, and a good bit of spice, all wrapped in some wonderful earthy aromas (for my friends who like that "barnyard" quality, this one has it in spades!).  The taste has some lovely fruit up front that effortlessly transitions to dried herbs, anise and a bit of oak, the nicely structured tannins lend great support to a long, smooth and earthy finish.  This wine is remarkable, in that despite it's label, it just takes me back to Paris, sipping a nice Margaux at a sidewalk cafe on Avenue Kleber, where we stayed in 1995.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 9, especially given that I found it for a bargain price of only $17!  I'm just sorry I only picked up one bottle!  This afternoon, I am enjoying this wine with a small snack of olives and some grilled veggies as I think of what to make for dinner this evening.  It would pair very nicely with a grilled steak, or some wonderful game or even some wonderfully seasoned cedar planked salmon.  Salut!

2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux - Just a Tease!

What an exciting day yesterday!  You see, in early 2010 after hearing what a great vintage the 2009 Bordeaux was, I decided to go in with some colleagues to buy some futures!  My first ever experiment with wine futures, and believe me they are nothing like commodity futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange!  You see, wine futures don't involve leverage, speculation or warehouse receipts, it's a simple transaction really.  You get a somewhat better price than the currently available wine, and you pay that price up front and get your wine a year or two or three later.

The the financial analyst in my, said what a great deal!  Margaux from one of the best vintages in over a quarter century for $20 a bottle?  Sign me up!  So we did, and bought a futures case of the 2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux, ordered and paid for in April 2010, and finally delivered in March of 2012!  So we succeeded in buying futures, and taking delivery (though I'll admit this is a horrible idea if you get high off instant gratification), and the bonus was that during the 2 years in the desert, I actually bought a few bottles of the 2005 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux and it was outstanding (you can see my review of that vintage here: http://allaloneonaplanetfullofpeople.blogspot.com/2011/04/2005-chateau-la-tour-de-bessan-margaux.html and needless to say I really liked it, and the 2005 vintage is supposed to pale in comparison to the 2009.  And what incredible luck, as I was looking through the Bordeaux section of G. B. Russo's, where I ordered the futures, I noticed the 2005 vintage was marked down to the incredible price of $19.99!  I asked Dave Russo what the story was with such a steep markdown from the usual price of $44, and he said since everyone was waiting anxiously for the 2009 vintage, they just stopped buying the 2005.  Well load me up partner, I already know this is a wonderful Margaux, and for some $22 with tax, I'll take as much as I can!

So now I bet you're thinking, "Ok get on with it, where are the tasting notes?"  Well, that's where the tease comes in, you see this note was more about our successful experiment in Bordeaux futures, it's not really about the wine!  After all, you should know by now, 3 years isn't near enough time for a Margaux to mature!  Unfortunately you'll have to check back in 2015, by then this wonderful '09 Margaux should be just about ready to try.

Well, I started a little early since I couldn't wait, so here is a link to the review of the 2009 Chateau La Tour de Bessan Margaux, enjoy!

2005 Château La Tour de Bessan Margaux

Ahh...it's been a stressful week, and today I am just in a foul mood, but it's 4 o'clock and time to relax with a glass of wine.  To treat myself today, I decided to take myself back to France, and enjoy "Printemps à Paris," imagining myself back in the warm breeze enjoying a glass of fine bordeaux at a sidewalk cafe overlooking the Eiffel Tower.  And to do that without dealing with the morons from the TSA, I have to just open a nice bottle of Margaux, this one from the exceptional 2005 vintage from Château La Tour de Bessan.  Arguably, Margaux is the king of bordeaux, and it is really the most elegant and complex wine of the Médoc (and when I was first introduced to fine red wines on my first visit to France, the Haut Médoc was a personal favorite). 

This wine certainly does not disappoint!  It's still quite young (6 years old is merely a babe when it comes to Margaux, and this one will age nicely for the next 20 years), and aleady it's very dry.  In the nose it has a wondeful hint of leather and earth with the faintest hint of cassis.  It has a lightness, yet a rich, velvelty mouthfeel, with a taste of spice that really lets the gravelly terroir of margaux shine through.  With every sip, the wine exhibits more complexity, with a long, smooth finish.  In my mind, this wine would complement almost any meal, as it does not over power, but simply expresses itself in an understated way as only a fine bordeaux can.  Even more importantly, this wine is great all by itself, as I relax and enjoy it, bringing back memories of Paris.  It's really almost impossible to describe how different a fine French bordeax can feel and taste, particularly if you are used to the big bold cabs of Napa Valley, or even the more fruit forward bordeaux blends of the Columbia Valley in Washington.  A fine bordeaux is in a class by itself, and thankfully, a benefit of the great recession is that many of these great wines are even more affordable than ever, with this wine recently coming down in price from $44 to only $34, and well worth every penny!  Now I just need to grab a bit of nicely aged cheese and finish enjoying my afternoon with this wine.  Oh, and as for a rating, I would give this one a solid 9, and I'm sure that rating will only expand if I taste it again in 2015 or 2020!  À votre santé!