"Drinking good wine with good food in
good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.” -Michael Broadbent
News,
by definition, is not about the ordinary. It is the attention getting story that gets
played or published. And so when wine
gets attention in the mass media, it is often about a record setting price paid
for a particular Bordeaux wine. Along
the line of “Tell a lie often enough about a generality and people will begin
to accept it as truth for all particulars” we need to be reminded that not all
Bordeaux wine is the same. Just ask the
French. They live there and know
something about French wine.
They
also know something about vintages which many of us take for granted here. Weather is important to all types of
agriculture everywhere. But in France,
where irrigating grape vines is not allowed, rain (its timing and its amount)
are critical as are other factors that affect grape and other crops elsewhere. So while wine collectors and investors
worldwide pay big sums for a Grand Cru from a great vintage (hoping to later
cash in on escalating prices), I buy wine to drink it.
And
I prefer to pay other than big prices.
And
I prefer to enjoy good wine.
And
the two are not exclusive of each other.
And you can too.
So
now we need to get to vintages and why they are important in Bordeaux, for
example. I’m not a fancier of
numerology, but recent vintages of note are 1995, 2000, 2005, (2009) and 2010.
Two-thousand and nine was, perhaps, made a good year by Mother Nature just in
order to throw off the numerologists. 2007
also had its merit, but is a year to appreciate early. If you learn the years
of good vintages, want to drink good wine and want to do so inexpensively, it’s
important to learn this so that you can work with the “Wine Mizer” system.
When
a year (vintage) is really stellar, almost any wine from that area will be
enjoyable. It will not, certainly, be as complex or as structured or even as
cellarable as a Premier Cru. It will also not necessitate that you apply for a
home equity loan in order to enjoy a bottle.
A good example is Chateau Cadillac from 2010 (pictured here). The Chateau is near Fronsac in Bordeaux and
uses regional blends in making everyday table wine. Their
red blend is 70% Merlot / 30% Cabernet Sauvignon… pretty classic even without
Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot and made in an “old world” style being less
fruit forward. The wine is medium-bodied and offers all the classic depth and
elegance associated with French Bordeaux.
It
cost me $17.
Now
that I have your attention, let me better describe this $17 wine. Respecting that palettes differ, I enjoyed the
wine’s nose of pencil lead and dark cherry which carried into the taste and
married with leather and juicy cassis. The finish hinted at black tea although
tannins were smooth and the finish carried along some dark chocolate.
Chateau
Cadillac is labeled “Bordeaux Superieur” meaning it is slightly “superior” to
standard Bordeaux AOC wines. Although the Chateau is a 13th Century
Estate and makes what I consider very good value wine, and although the estate’s
chalk and gravel soils produce grapes of character and a sense of place, wine
begins in the field. And 2010 was a
great year for that area.
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| 2004, an "off" year but drinking beautifully now from these 3rd growth estates. |
Being
a contrarian, and since I so enjoy Bordeaux wine, I do buy Grand Crus in off
years. 2004 and 2006 encapsulated the great vintage of 2005. I bought each of those years limiting my
selection to 3rd growths (Troisiemes Crus). The respected estates’
blending experience, and their access to quality barrels assure me of a wine
that will cellar and develop beautifully over time. Buying the best (or at
least very good) in off years means you don’t have to in great years. It means
you can consistently enjoy quality “old world” wine in all years and at
substantial savings in each.
For
another review of an excellent but remarkably value-priced wine, see my review
of Chateau Pey La Tour (2010) and click this link: http://www.winemizer.net/2014/01/chateau-pey-la-tour-2010.html
In
the meantime,
why not try this Wine Mizer system for enjoying excellent
Bordeaux wine at surprisingly affordable prices? You’ll thank me later (if your parents raised
you correctly).
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| Even the Mizer does occasionally splurge: Here on some 2010s - a great year - but they're 3rds. |
Sante!
………………..
Jim (Master Gardner, April 1992. U of I Cooperative Extension Service).
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