Buying Some Bordeaux Beauties

There's a European tradition of always offering a little nibbly nosh alongside red or white wine. Nuts or cheese or other tasty treats. One reason they're always welcome with a refreshing glass of red is, probably, Bordeaux wine.

Elegantly fruity, complex and wonderful with patient cellaring, the ancient claret can be tough, tannic and a little hard on the palate in its youth. That's the case with the May 12 crop at the LCBO:

The only exception is the venerable Charles de Sarpe 2000, thanks to it already having clocked up almost 20 years of bottle aging. This right-bank beauty, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, will set you back $85, but the maturation has already been done for you. The result is a smooth, mouthfilling melange of wild strawberry, plum jam and oaky spice with a core thread of roast beef, old leather and wet earth. Just perfect with a prime rib, slow-roasted lamb shank, charcuterie and blue-veined cheeses. 85% Merlot grapes plus Cabernet Franc (93).

Slightly down in the pecking order, Chateau La Tour de Mons 2008, a Cru Bourgeois from the prestigious Margaux appellation of Bordeaux, tastes still youthful even after 10 years and goes best today with a fine tenderloin, game bird, and a rare steak. Or another few years more in your cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Petit Verdot. $53 (91).

 A very good value Bordeaux Superieur, Chateau Plaisance 2009, $19, tastes still youthful and brimming with 70% Merlot, Cabernet and 10% Petit Verdot fruitiness and chewy tannins. A blend sourced from anywhere in the entire Bordeaux region, it's stylish with red cherry, earthy, mineral, black licorice and new leather notes (90).

Chateau Pierre de Montignac 2010, $25, is another Cru Bourgeois, this time from the Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy left bank Medoc, elegant, lean and firmly tannic still.  Blackberry, vanilla and oak, gentle tannins and balanced acidity lend themselves to burgers, BLTs and herb-roasted chicken (89).

 Another very good value, Chateau La Brande 2015, $20, from Castillon, is all red berries, cherry-brambly with bright acidity, fresh and appealing (90). Again, another youthful red and that's the nature of what the English called claret -- from the French clairet, light red, perfect for a midweight wine that punches above its weight.

An elegant red that does just that is Chateau Yon-Figeac 2015, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, $65, from one of the largest single vineyards in the district, with old vines, mostly Merlot, as you'd expect on the right bank. Concentrated and intense, it's full and firm and will benefit from 4-5 years more aging or -- especially if you give it a little time to breathe in a decanter before serving, be great with classic meat dishes and hard cheeses (92).

This decanting trick -- you just need two wide-mouthed jars -- pouring the wine back and forth a few times and giving it 20 minutes or so will benefit any red except really geriatric collector vintages.

classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes.
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-emilion/chateau-yon-figeac-st-emilion-bordeaux-wine/

veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-emilion/chateau-yon-figeac-st-emilion-bordeaux-wine/

veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-emilion/chateau-yon-figeac-st-emilion-bordeaux-wine/

veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes
Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/bordeaux-wine-producer-profiles/bordeaux/st-emilion/chateau-yon-figeac-st-emilion-bordeaux-wine/