2003 Ch. De France 2003 was the year of the heat wave in France that killed a lot of people. The heat made for very dense grapes and thus the 2003 vintage is big and quite fruity. The 2003 Ch. De France is drinking nicely now, and shows good balance, and interesting structure along with its dense fruit. It is slightly “new world” and is not particularly “barnyardy,” making it a good “introduction to Bordeaux” and a crowd favorite.

2003 Bel-Air Ortet: In the quest for a reasonable Bordeaux for under $30 this is a great value. It is a little light but has a great nose of oak and hay and is fairly complex on the pallet. This wine got considerably better after it opened and was a great companion to steak.

2001 Clerc Milon: This wine is from the Mouton Rotschild family of wines and you can taste the subtle elegance of it’s pricer sibling. It has a beautiful nose with big fruit and soft barnyard and is a good buy in the under $60 range.

February 2008 Wine Review

’05 Las Rocas – Spain, Garnach - $18 – Yes, I sometimes venture beyond La Belle Hexagon to try wines from other regions, and this wine from Spain is a lovely effort for less than $20. There is a huge initial vanilla hit on the nose and pallet followed by black cherry in the background that lingers and is really lovely. I liked this wine because it is interesting and different and is a great change of pace.

I’ve been enjoying some great wines in the past couple of months and am thrilled to pass on to you the following recommendations.