Today we compare a 2010 bordeaux (from France, of course) against a 2013 cabernet from Paso Robles, California. Both cost $23.
The Chateau Treytins is a 2010 bordeaux that we found at Total Wine. It is 60% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc. It is Read the rest of this entry »
Today we examine a 2010 Bordeaux that is 100% merlot. I found it at Total Wine for $25.
Here we have a nice example of a French red – robust, yet restrained. Delicious fruit, yet not sweet. But is the price too high? Read the rest of this entry »
Today we examine a 2009 red from France’s Bordeaux region, which goes for $14.99 at Total Wine.
OK I am not sure what Total Wine is thinking here, but I know what I’m thinking. This wine is Read the rest of this entry »
Today we review a $35 Bordeaux from Total Wine.
Dry. Tight. Serious. Great texture and mouth-feel. Chateau Garraud isn’t fooling around. It is 69% merlot, 26% cabernet franc, and 5% cabernet sauvignon. It smells of earth and alcohol, with traces of blackberries and licorice. The taste: lots of mouth-drying tannins and oak. Faint traces of rhubarb and tart cranberry. Not much fruit. It’s elegant, and extremely subtle, but not very friendly. The taste is so tight that it’s hard to appreciate what little complexity is being offered.
If you want a good example of the austere, no-nonsense reds from Bordeaux, Chateau Garraud 2009 is a nice choice, if you aren’t worried about the price. But for $35, I want either more sex appeal, more flat-out delicious taste, or more complexity. Although it is very good, at $35 I believe it is simply overpriced.
Not recommended.
EDIT: I also tried the previous vintage. The 2008 was much cheaper, at around $20, but was also much less drinkable than the 2009 reviewed here, with literally no fruit and not much else to redeem it. Not a viable purchase.
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