See below for what happened.........

Affordable Bordeaux Wines

2009 Bordeaux futures exceed $1,000 a bottle!  2005 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac, on sale for only $12,165 a case!  Scarcity and new wealth continue to drive top Bordeaux Growths beyond reasonable price levels, but affordable Bordeaux wines can be found all around us.  Our own Bordeaux wine expert, Bernd Mueller, guides us through the hype with an affordable Bordeaux wine selection from recent vintages.

Apéritif

Veuve du Vernay Brut

The Wines

2009 Chateau Bonnet Blanc

2008 Chateau Pavillon (AOC Bordeaux)

2007 Saint Vincent Baron

2005 Chateau Grand-Jean (APC Bordeaux Superieur)

2005 Chateau Perron Graves

 2005 Chateau La Lauzette (AOC Listrac)

Special cheeses and breads will accompany the wines. Desserts will follow the tasting. Please bring your own glasses & pens.

    No smoking or strong fragrances, please. 

Attendees recognize they will consume alcohol and assume responsibility of having done so.

Attendance will be limited to the first 32

Members  $25.00            Guests   $29.00

What Happened.........

This tasting was organized by Bernd and Maryse Mueller and Frank and Jackie Carson.

Frank Carson began the tasting with an excellent presentation of Bordeaux history, which dates back to when the Dutch created a canal system in the Medoc area to control drainage and introduced sulfur as a preservative in wine making. He told how Thomas Jefferson, who was very fond of French wines, suggested a classification system that named four chateaux as the top producers, Latour, Lafite, Margaux and Haut-Brion.   Mouton Rothschild was added later. 

Bordeaux is a very large area, three times that of Napa and  Sonoma combined, with 10,000 chateaux and 13,000 growers producing over 70 million cases in a year. 

Eighty five percent of the wines are red.  The majors produce only 5% of the wines and their prices can get very high.  But the other 95% can produce real bargains.

Bernd Mueller, who is very expert on Bordeaux wines and the region, presented the wines, which were selected from 13 found with prices under $20.  For each he described the area and the terroir, and gave information about the Chateau and the composition and character of the wine.

The very nice aperitif sparkling wine, Veuve du Vernay, is produced in Bordeaux and made from Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

The sole white, Chateau Bonnet, of this tasting is a fine example of Bordeaux whites, composed of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle.

The following summation of the five reds tells of their chateau location, composition and price.  All were quite good and we found that one does not have to go to the Premier Cru prices to have a very nice bottle of Bordeaux.

     08 Pavillon  A.O.C. Bordeaux (from Sainte-Crois-du-Mont)

                                                                   80% Merlot, 20% Cab Sauv       $12

     07 St. Vincent Baron A.O.C. Bordeaux (from Libourne area) 

                                                                    70% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauv      $15

     Grand-Jean  A.O.C. Bordeaux Superieur (from Entre-Deaux-Mers region)

                                                 55% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc    $13

     05 Perron  Graves                    60% Cab Sauv, 35% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc  $19

     05 La Lauzette  Listrac (Medoc) 

                                              50% Cab Sauv, 45% Merlot, 5% Petite Verdot   $20

There were some very good breads and cheeses with the wines, Vermont Cheddar, Triple Cream Brie, and a much liked Bleu d’Auvergne.  And there were cookies at the close.