Friday, April 2, 2010

Wines I'm Drinking: 2006 Château de la Meulière Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux

Last night I opened a bottle of the 2006 Château de la Meulière Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux. This is one of a number of wines I picked up recently on sale at Beverages and More. Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux wines come from a strip of hilly land sandwiched between the east side of the Garonne river and the Entre-Deux-Mers appellation. The area mostly grows Merlot. This wine is a 50-50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasting notes follow.

Deep plummy red. Barnyard scents and leather—rather stinky at first, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Cocoa as well. Initially quite closed on the palate. Tannic, but not at all harsh. Cherries, but rather closed. Mid-palate is very light, followed by a fairly bright, slightly tart finish. Doesn’t seem especially long, although there is a lingering subtle sweetness offset by soft, tannic astringency. Clearly has potential but not in a generous mood at the moment. Bordeaux can be very deceptive; wines that seem like nothing at first can start opening up like flowers after 15-30 minutes in the glass--so I decanted the wine. Going back to it later, I began to get hints of cinnamon, but mostly attractive animal scents--musk and leather. Still, the wine was noticeably sweeter and fuller on the mid-palate and there was more fruit apparent. It continued to evolve slowly, getting better. The tannins that initially masked most of the flavors eventually dropped away to reveal a nice chocolatey element offset by subtle acid and delicate tannins.

Not a powerhouse by any means, but balanced and tasty. This may not appeal to fans of very ripe, alcoholic, California wines, but I can recommend it for everyday drinking if you know and love the little wines of Bordeaux. I believe this would repay cellaring for another two to three years, perhaps a little longer. A good value on sale at $14.99 for two bottles at Beverages and More, but I don't think I'd stock up on this at full price.

[Just opened my second bottle of this today (July 20, 2015). Wow. Perfect. Ripe, round, soft, delicious. What a difference five years has made. Wish I'd bought this by the case.]

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3 comments:

  1. excellent review! agree that it's a good deal at the Bevmo 2 for 1. Agree on the tannins and how it opens up.

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  2. Thanks for dropping in. Glad the review was interesting.

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  3. I'm enjoying it right now - also a BevMo purchase, with discounts/coupons $11.39. It's been open just under an hour after being chilled slightly. The nose is opening up (I enjoy the earthy funk in good reds) but the palate is still tight. Good things are peeking through, so I'm guessing it will be one of those Bordeaux flowers!

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