5 Values in 2008 Bordeaux

There is a real chance that the 2008 vintage in Bordeaux is our last opportunity to get premium Bordeaux for under $100 per bottle.  It was a good quality vintage that was massively overshadowed by the glories that were 2009 and 2010.  At the time, the wines seemed quite expensive, but then the new Chinese wealth started flowing into Bordeaux and pushed prices into the stratosphere.  All the wines that I mention took a 200% or 300% increase in price for the 2009 and 2010 vintages.

If you are in Ohio, please buy these wines from me at Walt Churchill's Market.  If you are elsewhere, support this blog by clicking 'Buy Online."  The wines are reviewed in the order that I tasted them: from lightest to richest.

Chateau Carbonnieux 2008 Pessac-Leognan Blanc.  $59.99 OH Retail.  "A delicious and easily findable Bordeaux Blanc.  A beautiful golden color.  Luscious aromatics of orange and lemon-infused honey.  Gorgeous richness of flavor and texture while never neglecting a serious commitment to acidity.  Long finish."  90 points.   Buy Online

Chateau Grand Mayne 2008 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.  $49.99 OH Retail.  "Dark crimson color for the only Merlot-based Bordeaux in the mix.  Smokey oak.  Dark red plum skins.  Sexy and sophisticated at the same time, but just when you think it is all hedonism, crushing powerful tannins drop on you."  93 points.

Domaine de Chevalier  2008 Pessac-Leognan.  $49.99 OH Retail.  "A beautiful red color.  Attractively classy in the purity of the red fruit.  It really keeps the hard stones of the appellation submerged - for now.  Minerals, red apples, and pleasant acidty.  Can easily be enjoyed now, but still has a long life ahead of it."  90 points.Buy Online

Chateau Cantenac Brown 2008 Margaux.  $69.99  OH Retail.  "This wine changed dramatically over the five hours it was open.  It started a delicately, smooth interpretation of Cabernet Sauvignon, but moved quickly into becoming the wine I now describe.  Classic nose of black cherries and tar.  Tannics and young with a powerful grip that punishes you for opening a wine like this so young.  Still poised and graceful with black, blue, and red fruits.  Nice mouthfeel on a serious wine."  93 points.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru 2008 Saint-Julien.  $69.99  OH Retail.  "Red fruit in the dusty aromatics. A dark rich brooding wine with tight flavors and even tighter tannins.  Hard, cold, black fruits."  91 points. Buy Online

Red Obsession Buy on Amazon

Okay, so none of these wines are inexpensive.  But you don't look to Bordeaux for inexpensive.  You look to Bordeaux for classically-styled wines of high quality, impeccable breeding, and reliable aging potential.  Value is a plus - if you can find it.  And you can find it in 2008 Bordeaux

If you want to learn more about Bordeaux and how Chinese money can drive prices dramatically upward - check out this phenomenal documentary called Red Obsession.

6 Bottles of Gigondas Worth Seeking Out

When I reach for a bottle of wine from Southern France, I'm often reaching for a bottle of Gigondas.  A small appellation at the feet of the Dentelles in the Southern Rhone Valley, this area provides the same Grenache-based blends that one had come to expect from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but at 1/3 or 1/4 the price.  There is also a grace a beauty to the wines of Gigondas that you don't necessarily find in many Chateauneufs. 

I recently tasted 6 of the top ranked Gigondas wines at Walt Churchill's Market in Ohio.  Most of the wines cost between $30-$45 (one was more)  and all had received critic reviews comparable to Chateauneufs between $70-150.  They are all worth seeking out.

The #3 Wine of the Day

Guigal 2010 Gigondas.  $32.99 OH Retail.  "Really pretty red fruit with gentle amount of spice.  Not a big structure here, but a wine that will appeal to California Pinot Noir drinkers or fans of modernist Spanish wine."  90 Points.

Domaine du Cayron 2008 Gigondas.  $34.99 OH Retail.  "The oldest and most traditionally made of the Gigondas I tasted.  Aromatics are dark fruit with stone, tar, and briar patch herbaceousness.  The wine is medium full with blackberry jam flavors and gentle tannins that hint at cocoa.  The finish really lingers."  95 points.

Alain Jaume 2009 Gigondas 'Terrasses de Montmirail.'  $34.99 OH Retail.  "Dark red color.  Palate is fresh blueberries and blackberries.  Full bodied modern luscious wine. with tannins that grip the sides of your mouth.  Very long and heavy finish."  92 Points.

The #2 Wine of the Day

Domaine Bertrand Stehelin 2010 Gigondas.  $33.99 OH Retail.  "Dark purple/black color.  A nose of grape jelly melting on a stone.  This is a dark, dry, brooding, tannic wine.  It is the most similar to a Chateauneuf and also the wine most in need of serious time in the cellar. You can tell quality is there."  94 Points.

Chateau de Saint-Cosme 2011 Gigondas.  $42.99 OH Retail.  "There is a reason that Saint-Cosme is so esteemed by Gigondas fans. This was a beautiful wine.  The quality of the flavors and aromas spoke of refinement and elegance.  Three things stood out to me.  1) Purity of the red strawberry/plum fruit.  2) Hints of premium cured meat like Prosciutto.  3) An ever present since of the earth and minerality.  Superb wine and great value."  96 Points.

The #1 Wine of the Day

Chateau de Saint-Cosme 2011 Gigondas 'Les Claux.'  $79.99 OH Retail.  "I almost weep when I taste a wine this good at this price, because this single-vineyard 100+ year old vine Grenache, is heading for the world of the unaffordable.  Red fruits and animal bloods mix over a complex cocktail of stones.  Both elegant and wild like a high-class seductress from a James Bond movie.    And it still will get better, the tannins are powerful and dominate your mouth on the crazy long finish."  98 Points.

I definitely recommend seeking these wines, and other Gigondas, when you are looking for superb wines from France that delivery superstar quality without the high price tag.

gigondas

Buy on Amazon

Also, if you want to learn more about the Gigondas region, I'll include a link to pick up the definitive work on Gigondas.  It's out of print, but you can still buy it used.  Enjoy.

Video: Anne Amie Vineyards - Winemaker Thomas Houseman

The first winery in Oregon that I visited was Anne Amie Vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of Willamette Valley.  I got to the tasting room around closing time to find only the winemaker - Thomas Houseman.  We had a quick interview and talked about the distinctiveness of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Anne Amie Vineyards, current trends in wine, and the meaning of wine.

Understanding Wine with Austin Beeman. Episode #45

Download the video in HD by clicking here.

The complete podcast is available in iTunes here.