2018 Château Fonréaud Listrac-Medoc

Well, it was a busy Saturday, working, then working in the yard, then running errands and now I am more than ready for dinner and a nice glass of wine.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle that I bought a month or so ago from Costco, the 2018 Château Fonréaud Listrac-Medoc.  I am a big fan of the Medoc in France, as this was one of the first wines I fell in love with on my first trip to France in 1995.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, so what could go wrong?

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, a classic Bordeaux look.  A gentle swirl reveals aromas of ripe black fruit, leather, basalt and a classic Bordeaux funk.  The first sip is a rush of ripe black fruit at first, which instantly transitions to some notes of earthy peat and ripe plum, before transitioning to notes of black pepper spice, leather and dried herbs midpalate.  The tannins are supple yet firm, providing an ideal foundation for the long, smooth dry finish that is classically Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderfully drinking classic red wine, that was a terrific value at under $20 (I don't recall exactly what I paid, but I think it was around $18).  This wine would pair well with classic steaks and chops, hearty pasta dishes, or braised short ribs.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a seared prime New York strip over a bed of sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms with some oven roasted potatoes.  Cheers!

2016 Château Grand Bouchon Médoc

Happy Sunday!  I spent the afternoon finishing the Christmas shopping, but as I was starting think about wrapping all the presents, it was nearing suppertime, so I thought why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?  So instead I've opened a bottle of wine and starting to prepare dinner.  And the wine I've opened is a recent one I purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, as they had a $120 case special, so I selected four different wines and bought a case.  Among them was the 2016 Château Grand Bouchon Médoc, a classic blend of Merlot and Cabernet from the left bank of the Gironde, so let's see how this one is tasting!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with great clarity.  The nose is a fountain of raspberry, red plum and vanilla that flows through some earthy mineral notes.  The taste is a rush of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry, with a hint of sweetness among the fruit before transitioning to some notes of dusty limestone and cedar midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat chalky, but complementary to the fruit, providing for a lovely, long dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's just a very nice example of a Médoc, which is a personal favorite of mine among Bordeax.  This wine would pair well with the classic red meat dishes, from steaks to prime rib, but it would also be great with a fall root vegetable galette or mushroom risotto.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a herb crusted rack of lamb with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and a red wine and olive reduction.  Cheers!

2015 Chateau Vieux Robin Medoc

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit, I've been battling a cold all week long, so I've been hesitant to taste any new wines figuring if I can't smell that might impact my view of the wines.  But I'm now well on the road to recovery, so I've decided to open a bottle of 2015 Chateau Vieux Robin Medoc.  I am a big fan of Medoc, and I found this one at Costco for under $15 (so this could well be a future wine club selection for my office mates).  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass just as you'd expect from a nice left bank Bordeaux with heavy concentrations of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  The nose is classic Bordeaux, with wonderfully earthy notes of leather and peat intermingled with ripe black fruit, plum, fig and just a hint of floral overtones.  The taste is fruit forward, with some notes of black plum, blackberry and currant that shift to a bit of tart cherry and caramel midpalate.  The tannins are still a bit tight, providing a nice base for the long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a very nice example of a quality Medoc at a very attractive price point.  This wine would pair well with a lot of hearty fall dishes, from braised short ribs to beef stew.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime cowboy cut ribeye (also from Costco) over a bed of grilled leeks with some grilled broccoli rabe and a baked potato with all the fixin's.  Cheers!

2015 Chateau Grand Lacaze Medoc

Happy Saturday!  I have to admit I didn't get very much done today, I had so many wonderful plans to work in the yard and get some chores done around the house, and then I decided to sleep in and the rest is history (or anti-history since it never happened!).  But at least I'm now ready for dinner and a wonderful bottle of wine, and tonight's treat is a bottle of Bordeaux that I recently picked up at Costco.  I will admit when I first went to France in 1995, I really took a liking to Haut Medoc, but I suppose in a pinch, a regular Medoc will do, so tonight it's the 2015 Chateau Grand Lacaze Medoc, a wonderful left bank blend of Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (50%).  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, with nice clarity.  The nose is so Bordeaux-y, with wonderful earthy notes of leather, basalt, ripe red fruit, and the faintest hint of funk.  The taste is wonderfully earthy, with a rush of earthy peat intermingled with red currant, cherry and plum that transitions nicely to some notes of graphite and olive tapenade midpalate.  The tannins are still youthful, but nicely structured for the long, smooth and very dry finish, just as you'd expect from a nice Bordeaux.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a pleasant drinking table wine today that will likely improve a bit with a few years in the cellar.  This wine was also a terrific value at less than $10, making it an ideal everyday wine.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes from grilled fish to roast pork tenderloin to steak.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with an appetizer of stuffed artichoke along with a rare grilled prime New York strip, sweet potato hash and steamed sugar snap peas.  Cheers!

2005 Chateau Potensac Medoc

Happy October!  You ever wonder what October is the 10th month, rather than the 8th month?  I wonder about crazy things sometimes, but today I am wondering about the first Saturday of the month, which of course is Cellar Saturday!  Today I've opened a bottle that's been in my cellar for less than a day, the 2005 Chateau Potensac Medoc, which I bought at Costco today!  The Chateau is one of the Cru Bourgeois estates producing Medoc, that lovely Cabernet Merlot combination from the left bank of the Gironde, so let's see how this one grabs me!

The wine is a deep, inky purple at the center, with bright ruby along the edges.  The nose presents aromas of leather, tar, blackberry and kirsch with just the faintest floral overtones.  The taste brings out the gravelly clay soils of the Garonne, but the fruit is still a major player with flavors of black cherry and plum, but the star is the minerality that expresses itself midpalate, really highlighting the terroir of the Chateau.  The finish is divine, with still vibrant tannins after more than a decade, supporting the long, smooth and exceptionally elegant and dry finish, with just a hint of funk at the end.

I am a big Bordeaux fan, and this is a gem that I would easily rate a 9!  This would be ideal with aromatic or hard cheeses, or with a variety of hearty Autumn dishes.  Tonight I am enjoying this with some additional Costco fare, a rare grilled Prime ribcap steak, with some grilled asparagus and oven roasted fingerling potatoes.  The minerality of this wine is a perfect foil to the rich fattiness of the ribcap, my new favorite cut of beef.  Salut!

2008 Chateau La Roque de By Medoc

So tonight I am enjoying a nice glass of 2008 Chateau La Roque de By Medoc on my Lufthansa flight from Washington to Frankfurt. My first attempt at a wine blog post over the Arlantic!  

The wine is a deep purple color in the glass and the nose is a very pleasant combination of leather and anise. The taste was quite nice with flavors of ripe plum and berries. The taste transitions effortlessly to some dusty limestone mid palate as the well structured tannins support the long, dry finish that seems to last at least a minute or more!

 

 

I'm enjoying this wine with my dinner of Nantucket scallop followed by a fresh salad. For the main course I've gone with the beef tenderloin Randang with Yukon potato purée and sugar snap peas. Followed by the cheese course of goat, Brie and gruyere followed by a key lime tart with strawberry consommé. Yum!

2005 Chateau Griviere Medoc

It's getting to be very hot and humid here, so it might be rose season again soon enough, but tonight I've decided to go a little more traditional with my wine selection in light of my dinner menu, so here we are with a 2005 Chateau Griviere Medoc, a lovely Bordeaux from a fairly respectable vintage!

The wine is a very lovely deep purple color, leading to some bright ruby along the edges.  The nose is quite nice, with wonderful notes of sweet cherry, blueberry, leather and tar that seems quite appropriate for a Medoc.  The taste has some nice dark fruit at the outset, plum and ripe berries with scattered floral notes that transitions nicely to some dusty limestone and baking spice notes midpalate.  The finish is delightful, as the well balanced tannins support a long, luscious dry ending to a lovely sipping Bordeaux.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a nice example of a Medoc that is drinking very well now, and it was a bargain at the World Market for less than $15!  As for my more traditional pairing, tonight I am enjoying this wine with a nice New Zealand lamb chop grilled medium rare and topped with a bit of French sheeps milk Feta over a bed of baby spinach, the ripe fruit and earthiness of the wine really accents the beautiful flavors of the lamb, cheers!

2005 Chateau Greysac Medoc

So today is April 15, a day of infamy.  In the United States it's tax day, the final deadline for everyone to file their income taxes and pay Uncle Sam for the great services he provides the nation...for people like me, with a more nuanced appreciation of history, this is a day known for one of the greatest sea tragedies in all of history, the sinking of the great White Star liner R.M.S. Titanic in the early hours of the morning of April 15, 1912 in the north Atlantic.  It's been 101 years since that fateful night, and it's become my custom to open a nice bottle of wine in honor of the 1,514 people who lost their lives in the tragedy, as well as the 710 who survived, including the grandmother of a family friend who was just a baby when she was placed on a lifeboat in the freezing weather.

So, in honor of the Titanic, I am opening a bottle of 2005 Chateau Greysac Medoc, which reflects what would have been a rather common wine on board the ship, being a young claret, and this wine being primarily a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Surprisingly very little is known about what exact wines the Titanic carried or served, but based on other White Star liners, there would likely have been a few younger "clarets" and more white and sparkling wines on board, as there was some concern that the vibrations from the ship's massive engines would act to dislodge the sediments common on older Bordeaux wines, rendering them unpalatable, if not undrinkable.  So my selection tonight would have been considered a younger claret at the time (after all, in 1912, the main vintage of Champagne on the ship was 1907, so an 8-year-old red wine would be quite young).  And to make it more of an honor, tonight I am drinking from a White Star Line reproduction wine glass that I bought at the Titanic exhibit which is visiting Grand Rapids until this summer.

The wine itself is a deep ruby in the glass, and the nose is just pure Bordeaux, with the classic "Bordeaux funk" as some people have called it, a somewhat musty, combination of black fruit, leather, anise and dried spices that combine create a very memorable aroma of funk!  Though I'll admit, after a bit of air, or some decanting, the funk dissipates and you're left with great aromas of ripe black fruit, leather and anise.  The taste is quite complex, with a rush or ripe fruit, particularly cherries at the front, then we transition to just the slightest bit of cedar and mint midpalate, which goes quite quickly.  The finish is supported by some well structured tannins, as well as some notes of gravel and earth in the long, exceptionally dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's a nice example of the style and drinking quite nicely right now, and I bought this one a few years ago for only $14, making it a solid value Bordeaux.  Tonight I am pairing this with some grilled flank steak tacos with black beans, but it would go very well with a broad spectrum of grilled, marinated meats, or some nice roast lamb or braised short ribs.  So there you have it, my toast to honor a horrible date in history!

2009 Château Sigognac Medoc

It's a Wednesday evening, so it must be time to open a bottle of wine to celebrate "hump day"!  Tonight I've decided to open a lovely bottle of Bordeaux from the exceptionally hyped 2009 vintage, the Château Sigognac Medoc!

You know how I love a nice Bordeaux, and the characteristics of a lovely Medoc really bring my mind back to my printemps au Paris!  This wine is a lovely, deep ruby color in the glass, and the nose presents aromas of licorice, spices and a hint of gravelly limestone, but there's also something warm and syrupy that I can't quite place.  The taste is classic Medoc, with the faintest hint of fruit at the outset, quickly transitioning to a gravelly earthiness midpalate before the delightfully structured tannins leave you with a long, bone dry finish.

Tonight I am just enjoying this wine with my appetizers of sliced ripe tomatoes with 25-year balsamic and some aged cheeses as I think about what to have for dinner (sorry for my lack of pairing recommendations!) but I think this wine would pair quite nicely with a variety of steaks, or perhaps some lighter pasta dishes with grilled seafood, even though I know that might sound wierd to some of you!  Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, though it might have gone higher but it was somewhat expensive at $17, marked down from the normal price of $22.  In any case, I'll enjoy this one all evening long!

2006 Château Listran Médoc

So on my Atlanta junket, I had the pleasure of dining with 13 other conference attendees at a wonderful little French restaurant across the street from the hotel, called Bistro Niko, yes I know it sounds Greek, but I think that's because the owners of this chain of restaurants in the Buckhead area are Greek (they also own a Greek restaurant called Kyma which we dined at on Thursday).  At any rate, we had a chance to enjoy some wonderful French cuisine and some great wines as well (we only ordered 7 bottles between the 14 of us!).

Please excuse the crummy photo, but I took this at the table with my iPhone so it might not be as clear as it could be!  On this night, the wine was eclipsed by the food in my opinion, so I won't leave the delicious pairings until the end, but will give you a succinct play-by-play instead.  I hope you don't mind!

To start, I ordered a dozen escargots en croûte that I split with one of my new friends.  They were delicious!  The last time I was in Buckhead in 1994, we went to another French restaurant and that time I had escargot but they were in the shell.  These were served in garlic butter with a tiny puff pastry on top, and they were outstanding!  Then I ordered some wine for the table, if I recall, we had a bottle of the house Bordeaux, a couple bottles of Malbec, a bottle of house Pinot Gris, a bottle of house Sauvignon Blanc, and a couple bottles of the 2006 Château Listran Médoc.

Now this wine needed some time to open up, as my first taste was somewhat alarming with the nose of wet dog!  But after allowing the wine to breathe a bit, it really opened up nicely in the glass.  The wet dog evolved into some earthy aromas of oak and peat along with dried herbs.  The initial taste had very subdued fruit, with a hint of cassis, and at mid-palate there was a combination of aged tobacco and dark chocolate, yielding to an incessantly dry finish as only a nice Bordeaux can deliver.  Remarkably enough, I had this wine with seafood!  Specifically, with the

pâtes aux fruits des mer, which was a combination of sea scallops and calamari from Maine andMédoc stood as a near perfect contrast to the creamy richness of my dinner, so delicious!  We liked this wine enough to order a second bottle and at $36, I thought it might just be the best bargain on their wine list, and likely available outside the restaurant for under $20.  Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, but remember to let it decant or breathe a bit in the glass to further your enjoyment!