Wines I'm Drinking: 2009 Château La Verrière Bordeaux Superieur

I picked up this wine recently at my local (santa Rosa, CA) Costco for a modest $8.49 a bottle. I had high hopes for it as it was a gold medal winner (usually not a bad indicator in the case of less widely known Bordeaux wines) and because the 2009 vintage was generally good in Bordeaux. I wasn't disappointed. This is the kind of inexpensive but tasty little Bordeaux that I like to buy by the case and tuck away for future use on occasions that call for something solid but not extravagantly expensive. By the time seven or eight years have passed, they're usually markedly better than when new--and I always kick myself for not having bought more. Brief tasting notes follow.

A youthful-lookng, inky, deep purple-red. Fairly closed on the nose at first, but the initial impression was of an appealing, not unrefined, well-made wine. Initially the nose offered distant hints of roses and leather, but not a lot else. The palate was similarly restrained at first. The wine seemed flavorful but light--although a core of attractive fruitiness was apparent from the outset (this masked somewhat by light, soft tannins). A wine I'd call smooth, well-bred, attractive, and easy, but not without character. It gave the impression of being likely to get better with age, and, with a little time standing in a decanter, the wine started to develop a little more complexity. I began to get cocoa on the palate and there were hints of cherries and almonds on the nose. There was also a slight suggestion of iodine. While this wine may not appeal to palates raised on fatter, fruitier, more alcoholic California wines, it will be appreciated by those who know and love the wines of Bordeaux. I'd give this at least another three to five years in bottle before drinking it again, and I suspect it'll be tasty ten years from now, if well stored. If you drink it early, decant it and give it an hour or so before indulging. Not profound, but well made, tasty Bordeaux. Recommended.

I have no financial connection with any producer or retailer of wine.