2018 Château La Gravelle
Bordeaux Blanc
Regular Price $13.99
Sale price $10.99
This blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle is all about balance. Plush and polished, with lovely manderin orange, pear and floral aromas and flavors, it finishes crisply with citrus acidity and a nutty bitterness. Smooth and seamless, it’s immensely satisfying.
2014 Château Mazeris
Canon-Fronsac
Regular Price $19.99
Sale price $15.99
Really, do not cellar this wine. It’s really drinking quite nicely right now and whatever nonsense someone else might tell you, it’s not going to turn into any more of a swan than it already is. Mostly Merlot (as is most of Bordeaux), it’s rich and generous but not at all jammy and sweet. No, Merlot is not a lighter, fruitier version of Cab, instead, as this wine shows, it’s more like an identical cousin.
2015 Château Citran
Haut-Medoc
Regular Price $29.99
Sale price $23.99
This a bit of a modern take on classic Haut-Medoc. Comprised of nearly equal parts Cab and Merlot, its ripe and full with notable (but not overwhelming) oak flavors layered atop the berry, cassis and plum favors provided by the grape. The tannins are present but well integrated.
2011 Château Croix Figeac
Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Regular Price $32.99
Sale price $25.99
Saint-Emilion is lousy with Figeac(s), as the 2000 year old holdings of the Roman owner, Figeacus, have been carved up and sold piecemeal over the centuries. However, some of the Figeac(s), like this one, are going away, to ease confusion (the wine and property are still there, the name has changed). Anyway, this wine, of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is pretty classic, reticent and reserved rather than loud and flashy. Contrary to what most wine critics express, Bordeaux has traditionally produced wines of elegance and style, and those wines do indeed improve with some age. This wine exudes that old Bordeaux charm.
2012 Esprit de Pavie
Bordeaux
Regular Price $27.99
Sale price $21.99
And then we have Pavie, which is as modern as one can get in Bordeaux. Comprised of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the grapes are sourced from the various holdings of Gerard Perse (the owner and creator of the renowned blockbuster Chateau Pavie). This wine is designed as a less expensive and more accessible sibling and it hits the mark. Big and rich, but less tannic and concentrated than its progenitor, it perfect for those lovers of big wines that don’t always want to spend $100 per bottle.
2015 la Reserve de Leoville Barton
St-Julian
Regular Price $49.99
Sale price $39.99
The tenth generation of the Barton family still runs things at Leoville-Barton and they still know how to make very good wine. This, the second wine of the estate, is ¾ Cabernet Sauvignon and of the classical camp of Bordeaux. Polished and supple, it’s perhaps not compelling, merely delicious.