Bordeaux is a very classic wine, and while we love a good everyday bottle, around the holidays we like to splurge just a bit.
2009 Château Marsau, Cotes de Francs $20
Merlot
This 2009 has black cherry fruit, with hints of tobacco leaf and coffee, this wine is dense, pure, medium to full-bodied, fleshy and quite seductive in its ripeness and silkiness.
2017 Château La Vielle Cure, La Sacristie Fronsac $24
74% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon
Notes of cassis, leafy herbs, tobacco, and spice all emerge from the glass, and this beauty is medium to full-bodied, ripe, textured, balanced, and nicely textured. With good acidity and a great finish, it’s a smoking effort to drink over the coming 10-12 years.
2016 Château Rozier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru $28
80% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep purple color, the flavor rends a great freshness associated with red and black fruits, with a woody and slight vanilla edge. The tannin gives it a fleshy, smooth and delicious yet elegant taste.
2014 Château Falfas, Côtes de Bourg $29
55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec
Dense and dark, with notes of blackberry, anise, coffee, and chocolate, but also smoke and spice, and a lingering finish that you won’t soon forget. The wine is elegant with good acidity and minerality (clay and limestone soil). Its bouquet of ripe dark fruits, violet and light spices is vibrant and fresh on the palate. This is full body wine with a nice texture and moderate tannin. Biodynamic
2015 Château Franc Grâce-Dieu, St. Emilion Grande Cru $32
70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc
A rich and complex Bordeaux with a lot of leathery & mineral richness.
2010 Château Gueyrrosse, St. Emilion Grand Cru $39
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
Smooth and silky aged Bordeaux. The nose highlighted by generous notes of crisp red fruits and a rich palette of aromas, velvety. A very harmonious vintage, combining power and finesse.
2018 Château les Barraillots, Cru Artisan Margaux $40
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot
From 40 year old vines the Barrallots is full, rich, and ripe promising that 2018 might rival 2015 and 2010.
2012 Château Les Fiefs de Lagrange, Saint Julien $55
61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot
The Second Label of the 3rd Growth Lagrange. The 2012 is developed and ready to go now. Good depth of firm Cabernet fruit, good clarity and natural tannins, very good second wine.
2015 Château Cantemerle, Haut Medoc $58
64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
5th Growth Bordeaux. Impressive richness and clarity of red and dark berries. Lightly spiced-pastry aromas, too. The palate has a very crisp, polished and groomed tannin texture, as well as super fresh flavors that carry long.
2014 Château Pas de L’Ane, Saint Emilion Grand Cru $67
60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc
A very rare top-notch Bordeaux that’s actually still a sensible buy. Rich blackberry fruit and layers of tannins are a great combination for this wine that has profited from the quality of the Cabernet Franc in this vintage. It has plenty of fruit and acidity, as well as firm, still-toasty tannins.
2015 Château Latour, Pauillac $100
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot
A firm and linear red with currant, blackberry and stone aromas and flavors. Full yet closed and tight. Acidity drives this one. Third wine of Paulliac. Serious. 94 pts Suckling
2008 Château Léoville-Poyferré, St-Julien $128
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot & Cabernet Franc
One of the finest over-achieving efforts in this vintage as well as a ‘best buy’ for a top-flight St.-Julien, this 2008 is an irresistible success. It reveals an opaque ruby/purple color, lots of unctuosity and a boatload of sweet cassis and black cherry fruit intertwined with notions of licorice, smoke and oak. Full-bodied, remarkably concentrated and stunningly pure and textured, this sensational wine is already drinking well, and will be even better with 2-3 years of cellaring. It should last for 20-25 years –94pts Parker