In the last month I’ve tasted some wonderful wines beginning with the 2004 Chateau Laforge. This is a wonderful, classic, complex Bordeaux with black fruit and lots of barnyard. For the Bordeaux lovers this is a great choice at a reasonable price in an underrated vintage.
From the same vintage, the 2004 Abbaye de Tholomies from the Pays d’Oc is a classic Rhone wine that is elegant and full of interesting fruit. This is a lovely wine to enjoy on summer evenings and goes especially well with grilled chicken.
1996 Chateau Crabity is the reason to cellar great wine in great vintages. From the moment I opened this wine I knew we had something special. The first clue was the beautiful bouquet of dark fruit and barnyard that was followed by noticing the brick red color that comes from aging. On the pallet this wine was elegant, with a great balance of black cherry, wet hay and oak. This was a true WOW!
Also amazing was the 2001 Chateau Giscours. It is complex, with big dark fruit, cassis, smoke, hay, mushrooms and smoke. This wine was big and dense and full of complexity.
On a quest to find good wines for under $20, the 2002 Chateau de Rochemorin is a wonderful wine in a lesser vintage. Beautiful and complex this is a great value for $15.
While most wines from 2005 are too young to drink, the Chateau Fontbernard from St. Emilion is a beautiful expression of the 2005 vintage. It is elegant, soft and balanced and can be enjoyed now.
Lastly, the 2006 Chateau de Virecourt is a great buy for under $10. It is simple but sufficiently interesting to be set apart from ordinary cabernet.
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