Tuesday, May 06, 2008

A Timely List of Bordeaux Values

After our recent Wine Book Club foray into Bordeaux, I thought you might be in the mood to buy some wine from the region to stash away in your cellars and closets for drinking in three to five more years.

If you are looking for some good value in Bordeaux, then you should check out the list of 100 affordable wines that was selected in a blind tasting by a jury that included Chanterelle Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn, Binny's Fine Wine Buyer Barbara Hermann, and author Leslie Sbrocco. I had hoped to attend their tasting last month in Los Angeles, but was felled by such a bad cold that I couldn't taste or smell anything--not ideal for sampling Bordeaux.

Thankfully, the list is still up on the web so I wanted to let you all know that it's a well-rounded list of dry whites, reds, and roses, as well as sweet dessert wines. Though I didn't get a chance to taste my way through the whole list, the inclusion of wines from Chateau Lamothe de Haux, Chateau Andron Blanquet, and Chateau L'Embrun all inspired confidence. None of these names will be terribly familiar to you, because they are produced by smaller producers who are vastly overshadowed by the big Bordeaux names. But they were selected for the list because they were excellent representatives of Bordeaux for the price.

So if you want to try some Bordeaux, but are not prepared to pay premium prices, this list could help you to find more affordable options that will still deliver great taste and classic varietal flavors.

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