2004 Chateau Labegorce Margaux – As I mentioned last month, I am drinking the 2004’s from Bordeaux now as I continue to cellar my 2000’s and 2005’s. This wine is wonderfully complex with good structure and great balance that has the fruit in the right mix. I liked this wine very much even though I thought it was a little pricy at $30.

As the holidays quickly approach it’s time to reach into the cellar and pull out those great wines you’ve been saving. But if you haven’t been building your cellar there are still some great wines to enjoy.

Chateau Beycheville is one of my favorite wines and last week I opened the 1996 for some friends and it was awesome. This is what great Bordeaux become after ten years. It was complex across the pallet with a good balance of black fruit and barnyard that lingers on your tongue. I wish I had more!

The 1995 vintage in Bordeaux is a benchmark vintage and a classic example of what Bordeaux winemakers can do in a great vintage. By this I mean that the wines are so dense and well-structured that they are only now beginning to be ready to drink, and in most cases can still lay down for another five to ten years. I recommend two wines from this vintage this month and both are great representatives of the vintage.

Wine Reviews August 1, 2008

1983 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande – 1983 is not known as one of the great vintages in Bordeaux, but there are wonderful wines in every vintage (even ’97) and this is one of the best from 1983. This wine has beautiful fragrances of violets and black cherry on the nose and more earthy tones on the pallet. It is drinking well now and probably won’t get much better over time. If you can find it, buy it.

Summer’s here and the time is right for… White wine!

Now that the weather has heated up it is time to enjoy those cool whites on the patio or deck.

Some of my favorite white wines are from the Niagara Peninsula (there are over fifty wineries there now) and one of the things I enjoyed most about living in Canada was the ability to spend a day visiting the various wineries, eating a slow lunch and looking out on the vineyards in the Peninsula.

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.