Château Tour de Ségur, Lussac-Saint-Emilion, 2005 ~$20US, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon

Black cherries and cream on the nose. Cherries and red currant notes on the palate - not terribly complex but a solid structure with taught tannins, vibrant acidity on the backend and good clean fruit. With time, the nose and palate became more expressive, bringing a softness, but the tannins remained grippy and dusty yet sweet. A medium-bodied wine, offering some elegance at a fair price. A good partner with roasted white meats.

Famille Lignères ‘Le Cabanon de Pascal’ Corbières, 2003 ~$15US, Grenache

This bottle was shared with friends and emptied very quickly, so my notes are scarce. Broad-shouldered and spicy, with cherries, raspberry and garrigue notes. Peppery finish. I touch of clove and orange. Opulent and juicy but fresh and not over-the-top. A taste of Chateauneuf-du-Pape at 1/3 of the price, and more accessible in its youth. At this price, this is the kind of wine everyone should try (and I need to get more of!).

~$15US, 60% Merlot / 20% Cab Sauv / 20% Cab Franc, Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France

Ruby-garnet color. Shy nose, with some black cherry and plum. A little mildew/seaweed earthiness in the mix to - but not detracting. Juicy palate - with a soft approach supported by some fine tannins. An attractive sweetness towards the finish. Quite drinkable now, and probably for the next 3 years.

A solid wine that opened up nicely over the course of 2 days. I can’t complain, and I can’t find many faults for a Bordeaux in this price range. Quality Cotes de Castillon - but for me, many other $15 wines have left a stronger impression on me.

In my…commitment…to understand the scope and reach of Bordeaux’s varietals in their blended forms, I had a packed week/weekend featuring three of the five (Cab Franc, Sauv. and Merlot), blended with a few additional curveballs.  The lay of the land is quite interesting. I put the Nolados and the Cambra at the top, the Geol and Picque Caillou on the bottom.

I hope to try North and South American efforts plus an Italian to complete the circle.

Dominio Buenavista, Veleta ‘Nolados’ 2005

~$14US, 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Tempranillo, Vino de la Tierra Contraviesa Alpujarra, Granada, Spain

Deep ruby-purple. Heady aromas of plum, cassis, supported by red cherries and a subtle earthiness and minerality beyond. On day 1, the fruit was had big presence front and center, but it was not overpowered by the acidic lift and fine, but tight tannins. Deftly integrated oak - some spices and caramel, but again, balanced and harmonious. On day 3, the wine was generously evolved, smooth as silk with secondary and tertiary flavors and aromas…leather, tobacco, and a dusty, gravelly road. Tons of old world character lurking behind ripe-new-worldly fruits. And sweet tannins moving towards a clean finish.

I would have probably overlooked this wine, had it not been for a lucky tasting with the head of the estate, Dr. Juan Palomar and wife, locally last year. Their efforts are truly a great success -  This wine is a home run and an astounding value.

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Rafael Cambra ‘Dos’

~$20US, 50% Cabernet Savignon, 50% Cabernet Franc, Valencia, Spain

While his Monestrall-based ‘Uno’ was less impressive to me, the ‘Dos’ delivered the goods. Deep dark violet color. The shy nose that opening up over the course of 5-6 hours - showing cherries and red currant, with a floral overtone. A little wet straw, bay leaf, green pepper and orange-zest too. The palate was full and vibrant, with a great acidity and structure - which softened to become almost lush, aside from some alcoholic bite on the backend. There’s a zesty Priorat-like schiste flavor on the finish. Sturdy.

This is a very precise and focused wine, with a understated elegance and an exotic streak. Bordeaux meets Priorat. Only a smidge less ABV would’ve made this classic. Maybe the 2004 or 2006  are a little less hot - I hope to try.

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Thomas Cusine ‘GEOL’ 2005

~$21US, 65% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Carinena, Costers del Segre, Spain

A Monsterous blast of fruit from popping the cork to pouring…This is a ripping, ripe, large-scaled wine, and not your father’s Merlot. Lots of stewed fruit, plums, blackberries, and cherries. Some disintegration with a sweet syrupy oakiness, which turn me off a little. Very concentrated. The tannins seem medium, but the alcohol definitely seems hotter that the 14.5% ABV on label. But beneath lies an energy gives the wine momentum and keep it from flabbing out. This is a full-throttle primary fruit monster right now…It may become more complex and settle down, but there is plenty to enjoy if you’re in the mood now.

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Château Picque Caillou 2005

~$20US, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux France

Beguiling aromas of Cherry cordials, tobacco, Spanish cedar, and sandalwood. Interesting and full of character - but a little thin through the palate. Clean minerality in the finish. Firm tannins and forward acidity probaby portent a good chance of fattening up in bottle over the next 3-5 years. Wait on this one - while the nose is cool - the palate is dissappointing right now.

~$15US, Merlot/Cabernet Blend, Montravel (Eastern Bordeaux/ SW France)

Day 1: Too tight. Come back tomorrow.
Day 2: Fresh red cherries with secondary herbal, bramble, and leather notes.  Very refined on the palate - wonderfully  crisp acidity and fine but firm tannins. Refreshing and elegant. High-toned cherry fruits with a noticeable tartness reminding me of Sweet Tarts, without the candy-fied sweetness.  Overall finely balanced and super food friendly - the acidity and tannin structure could complement fattier beef cuts, and harmonize with more robust and tangy sauced white meats.  Ridiculous value - in a perfect world, wines like this should be restaurant house wines. Seek out.

~$22US, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

2005 in Bordeaux is apparently the-vintage-of-all-time-best-ever-cuz-its-got-the-cures-etc, according to those who know about that sort of thing. I don’t drink too much Bordeaux, so when I saw this, I figures I’d see what the hoopla was about before dropping dime on something bigger to keep for our wedding anniversaries. This is a left-bank Cru Bourgeois, I’m guessing primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, with tad of Merlot and Cab Franc as well. The shop said to give this plenty of air, so I did - it starting putting itself together with 4-5 hours of decanting. Funny thing - it was still improving @ the 8 hour point. Wow.

The color, deep garnet. A rich and opulent nose, with blackberries, red currant, some leather. A tiny bit of grass and earth present, but none of the bell-pepper notes that turn me off with cabernets. Just fantastic in the mouth; velvety, but medium-bodied - lighter than the nose let on. The palate transitioned from ripe black fruit and tobacco, towards a balanced acidity, all held together with fine but firm tannins. Great dry finish, with notes of glycerin and cedar. Masterfully oaked, just a hint of sweetness on the backend showing that this probably saw very little new wood.

Overall, this was a simply a delicious wine and a strong value @ 22 bucks. It offered great elegance for the price, and surprised me with the acidity and structure that make this super-red-meat-friendly. It did not overpower with any 1 aspect, and came together just right with air. This has enough fruit and structure to live a long life in the bottle. I’d love to forget about a bottle of this for 5-7 years and see what dimensions it takes one. Kudos winemaker, I think I could like Bordeaux after all.

~ $45US Cabernet Blend, St. Emilion, Bordeaux, France

I will put it right out there - I might not be a Bordeaux kind of guy, but I’m always willing to try new things, and this seemed interesting. This wine is opaque dense and inky, with a lively nose of currant, blackberries, tobacco, black tea, and damp soil. Truly a fascinating nose - an outgowing mix of fruit and earth. On the palate, very silky and smooth - too smooth that it was hollow and flabby. The middle seemed to have fallen out or closed up - it just disappeared. I felt myself really waiting for some firmer structure - via tannins or acid to support the promise of the nose. It ended with a nice long herbal finish with a touch of menthol.

This had a lot going for it, but unfortunately there was a strange void in the middle of the wine. I am inexperienced with this wine - it could be too young yet, or perhaps it started it’s life on the riper side and now the fruit is starting to wane. It just went soft, and to some that may be elegant or intriguing, but to me it was kinda boring.