Thursday, May 24, 2012

Great, Affordable Petite Chateau Bordeaux

Who doesn't like a great deal on tasty Bordeaux! Well, I just tasted the new releases of Chateau Nicot moments ago and I just absolutely loved them. The labels have been updated. The red no longer has the crazy Halloween orange label. It now carries a very stylish, understated label, a really nice change. 

This property is in the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux a spot that produces lovely, crisp delightful whites and soft, plummy enjoyable reds. These two are excellent examples. 

The white is rather unusual in that it is produced with 20% Muscadelle, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillon. Typically the Muscadelle portion would be lower, but this effort seems perfectly balanced. I found lots of really nice sweet grassy flavors and the perfect amount of acidity. I first discovered this white at 80 Thoreau, the Concord, MA eatery that had it offered by the glass. I got back to my store and made inquiries and was told that I would not be able buy any. The distributor needed to protect the restaurant - the restaurant was pouring it like water. I can see why. With the new vintage there's more available, so get some before they cut us off again. Approx retail $12

The red is equally enjoyable and is built using just 80% Merlot with the balance being Cabernet Sauvignon. I loved the lush, soft, concentrated black raspberry fruit flavors with a touch of that cedar spice that only Bordeaux reds have. There's enough body to give that nice mouth-filling sensation, but enough elegance to make it very food friendly. I think it has enough up-front appeal to be a great cocktail wine. It's so crazy good you'll just have one glass after the next. Approx retail $12

You should be able to find these easily - so go out and get some!

For all the wine geeks who want more specific info here's a link to a site that does the best job.

click here

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Wine Blogging - Why?

Why blog? Does anyone really read this stuff? Granted it's way easier than updating and maintaining a website, but am I reaching the right bunch of people to make it worthwhile. Am I just doing it as therapy? Am I just stroking my ego, convincing myself that I know something about this stuff. This must be a phase that all bloggers must go through. Whatever the phase I'm going through is called, I think I'm over it. It's time to get back to it and see what I can accomplish here.
So, to all of the 497 people who have taken a look here - thank you. I hope you'll come back from time to time.