• greg
  • cooks
  • drinks
    • drink blog
  • ferments
  • grows
  • runs
  • aws

greg drinks

tasting wine

  • red
  • white
  • rose
  • africa
  • asia
  • australia/new zealand
  • europe
  • eastern europe/russia
  • north america
  • south america

Another 2005 Bordeaux

September 21, 2008 by greg 1 Comment

I ordered this 2005 Bordeaux from Wine Library way back in January as a presale. It was supposed to come in some time last June but it didn’t arrive until just yesterday. I’ve been dying to taste it. Some of the tasting notes on cellartracker for this wine are mixed. One guy even gives it 74 points because it has tannins! Not sure what to think of that review. Well, tonight I opened a bottle and I’ll give you my opinion.

2005 Chateau Marjosse

Color: Deep, deep inky purple color. Looks young and will probably taste young.

Nose: Dark blackberries and black raspberries hit the nose. There is almost a sweet smell that reminds me of chocolate and coconut. It has some earthy notes with alot of complexity going on there.

Palate: Solid firm tannins that are gripping! It is definitely too young to drink and I can understand why people turn off to this. The tannins overwhelm the palate. However, this wine is full of vegetables mingling with those dark fruits. It has a nice balance of acidity. The alcohol is a little out of balance providing for a hotness that exacerbates the tannins. The earthy peaty fruit fills your mouth, though, with big robust flavor that lasts for days on the palate. I think there is a lot there and can’t wait to taste this 5-10 years from now.

This wine has a lot of potential to evolve into something quite nice. It could, however, fall flat after aging if the fruit doesn’t stand up to the high 14% alcohol. I can see this wine pairing very well with mushrooms and truffles. I should mention that I just popped the cork and tasted this one. I’ll give it some time in the decanter and see if it improves. Given it’s potential, I would probably give this one 90 points. That may change in a few years. Time will tell.

Filed Under: europe, red blend Tagged With: bordeaux, Chateau Marjosse, France

A Bordeaux Rosé

June 10, 2008 by greg Leave a Comment

I picked up this 2006 Bordeaux rosé as part of a Wine Library TV secret four-pack. I never got around to drinking it with Gary V but I did enjoy it anyway. It was not a serious wine but was nice to have out on my patio with some grilled foods. It had nice strawberry flavors and was not sweet at all. I like my rosés dry, thank you very much. This one was dry. It had a bit more body than I expected which was nice. Overall it was a pretty decent bottle.

Filed Under: europe, rose Tagged With: bordeaux, France, rosé

A Grand Cru

June 9, 2008 by greg Leave a Comment

I don’t often drink grand crus but this one came as a good deal from Wine Library. For $20 I think I got a good bargain. This was a very nice wine. As you can see from the back label, it is composed of 80% merlot, 10% cabernet sauvignon, and 10% cabernet franc; a classical Bordeaux blend if I’ve ever seen one.

First of all I was blown away by the color. You can see below it was a deep, rich, dark, purple/red color. You definitely could not see through it. On the nose I was presented with earthy musty notes mingling with ripe red cherries. Solid tannins, big fruit and hints of smoke greeted you on the palate. It also had a slight greenness to it. After a couple hours in the decanter the wine opened up beautifully.

Here is a cocktail you can do with this wine, and For creating the best cocktails as home, see Mixstik.

ETHIOPIAN COCKTAIL

The character of this distinctive Ethiopian coffee comes through divinely in this finely wrought sweet citrus cocktail.

    • capsule of Master Origin EthiopiaGrand Cru
    • 100 ml of pink grapefruit juice
    • tablespoons of crushed ice
    • ice cubes
    • 10 ml elder flower syrup
    • 20 ml of grapefruit syrup
  • grapefruit slice

Filed Under: europe, red blend Tagged With: bordeaux, Cheval Brun, France, grand cru, Saint Émilion

Saint Émilion

April 29, 2008 by greg 1 Comment

Popped open a bottle of the 2005 Christian Moueix Saint Émilion tonight. This one is made from 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc. I liked it very much even if it was a little bit light. It had a nice medium purple red color that you could easily see through, so it was obvious this would not be a heavy wine. On the nose I was presented with subtle ripe cherries and aromas of sweet tart candy. Very interesting to say the least. On the palate, however, there was nothing fruit or sweet about it. It was oh so vegetative. I enjoy that. It had a medium body, solid acidity and smooth tannins. Red fruits came across so very subtly however it was the roasted beets, cooked carrots and tomato sauce that dominated the flavors. It was a little bit chalky and a tiny bit disjointed on the finish but overall it was a nice Bordeaux red. I bought it for $14 on sale which was an ok price. I don’t think I’d pay the $30 or so full price for it.

Filed Under: europe, merlot Tagged With: bordeaux, Christian Moueix, France, Saint Émilion

I am learning to love Bordeaux

January 12, 2008 by greg Leave a Comment

You may have noticed that my posting has slowed down just a little bit lately. After the over excesses of the holidays I’ve had to cut down on my calories and alcohol. So, I’ve been saving the wine for the weekends. Earlier this week a case of 2005 Bordeaux arrived from Wine Library. I have been dying to taste this all week. I am beginning to really appreciate the old world style wines from Bordeaux and am learning a lot as I taste more and more.

The 2005 Chateau Clos du Moulin comes from the St. Estèphe commune at the northernmost part of Médoc. Wines from this region are typically tannic and slower maturing than other areas of Bordeaux. According to Robert Joseph (French Wines The essential guide to the wines and wine-growing regions of France, DK Publishing) when the classification of vineyards in Bordeaux was happening in 1855 the wines from this region were considered to be of lesser quality than other areas of Médoc. Thus, it was only awarded 5 crus classés. Forty vineyards were deemed to be crus bourgeois. I never realized that the classes were designated more than 150 years ago. See, I’m learning! I think a lot can change in 150 years and now I wonder how much stake to put in the vineyard classifications of France. I would welcome comments and discussion about this point. Anyway, I digress. St. Estèphe has a soil that is a mix of gravel and clay. This is a combination that can make Cabernet Sauvignon rather rough. Thus more merlot was planted in this area in the late 1980’s and the wines have become softer and more supple than before.

The 2005 Chateau Clos du Moulin is comprised of 40% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc and petit verdot. I found it to be a super interesting wine and one that a novice like I could guarantee will age nicely for at least the next 10 years. When I first opened the bottle the nose was a bit closed. After a few minutes and warming the glass with my hands I began to notice aromas of cherries and some spice, maybe anise. Interestingly I noted the tiniest hint of caramel on the nose. Drinking this was an experience, I tell you. At first I was attacked by alcohol. My first tasting of this right after opening made me think this was out of balance. The alcohol level is 13%, by the way. But the more I tasted it and the more it aired out and opened up, the more excited I got about this wine. It had quite firm tannins that probably exaggerated the alcohol at first. But I also tasted lots of long lingering fruits. They were a mix of black currant, blueberry and cherry. There was a distinct minerality on the palate as well mixing with an earthy moss flavor. Some spice perked up the flavor and just on the very back sides of my tongue I could detect what to me tasted like rollo candy. You know those candies with creamy caramel in the center covered in chocolate. It was definitely the caramel chocolate combination, not one or the other alone. It had a long finish and pleasant aftertaste. All in all this was a solid bottle of Bordeaux for under $20. If I were to drink it now I’d definitely decant it for at least a couple of hours. Better yet, leave this one in the cellar for a few years and I think you will be rewarded with a beautiful, balanced, and supple wine.

Filed Under: europe, red blend Tagged With: bordeaux, Chateau Clos du Moulin
Next Page»

archives

  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • July 2010
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • September 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2025 ·Delicious Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in