Bordeaux Blend Wine

This new chateau (for us) exhibits a deep purple color and a good, full structure. The aromas were of spice, coffee and sweet new oak. This is a precisely made Saint Estephe with elegant and silky styled tannins. Good concentration and length. As with many of the 2009’s, there is a freshness of fruit and juicy character that makes them so appealing. Tasted multiple times during our trip.

A blend of 80% Sauvignon and 20% Semillon that hit 14% natural alcohol, this is serious wine boasting notes of lemon and lime marmalade intermixed with honeysuckle, a whiff of freshly cut grass and a waxy, melony character. Aromatically complex, this relatively big Malartic Lagraviere should drink well for up to 20 or more years. A great wine!

Produced in Entre-Deux-Mers ("between two seas"), a picturesque region of Bordeaux sandwiched between the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, this zesty Bordeaux blanc from the highly regarded 2010 vintage is a perfect all around summer white. Although most Entre-Deux-Mers is dominated by the assertive Sauvignon Blanc grape variety, Château Martinon's conscientious owner, Jerome Trolliet, favors Sémillon, using it for more than 60% of the blend, with Sauvignon Blanc (30%) and Muscadelle (10%) making up the rest. The emphasis on Sémillon yields a wine that is considerably more rich and savory than most Bordeaux Blanc.  The floral and mineral scented 2010 Château Martinon offers juicy lemon, citrus, and marmalade fruit, which makes it an ideal accompaniment to oysters (the classic match), fish,  grilled poultry, and light meats. It is also a great choice to sip all by itself, with the sea breezes blowing.

This is another new chateau for us. Dark color, medium to full-bodied, with sweet, but firm, tannins. Hints of mocha, nice ripeness. Long finish.

The 2005 Mouton Rothschild will have to take a back seat to the prodigious 2006, but administrator Philippe Dalhuin deserves considerable credit for pushing Mouton to higher quality levels over recent years. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot, the dark purple-hued 2005 exhibits a restrained but promising nose of cedar, tobacco leaf, creme de cassis, and toasty oak. Full-bodied, tannic, and extremely backward, with the vintage's tell-tale acidity, it appears to be even more closed in the bottle than it was from barrel. It does possess a long finish and multilayered mouthfeel. This is an undeniably outstanding, yet restrained, shy wine for a Mouton Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040+