Tasting notes, Sept. 14, 2024; Bordeaux grapes

2022 Ducasse
Blanc

On Sale for $17.60
Bordeaux / France7
0% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc
Sourced from 35 year-old vines planted on clay and limestone, the Ducasse Blanc displays a lovely balance of plush white fruits and minerals. This bottling is fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel.
2021 Pallus Messanges
On Sale for $17.60
Chinon / Loire Valley / France
100% Cabernet Franc
Created from the domain’s younger vines, the Messanges is intended for consumption in its youth. Messages is an old Loire word for Cabernet Franc, apropos for this textbook example.
2016 Lanessan Grand Vin
On sale for $24
Haut-Médoc / Bordeaux / France
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Chateau Lanessan is located just south of the Saint-Julien commune on the left bank of the Gironde estuary and has been in the same family’s hands for eight generations, a relative rarity in the region.
2021 Beringer Knights Valley
On Sale for $25.99
Knights Valley / California / US
Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon
The source vineyard for Beringer’s Knights Valley bottling covers a sprawling 600 acres and features well draining, rocky soils. The resulting wine offers a forward personality with cassis fruit leading the way.
2018 Tour Saint Christophe Grand Vin
On Sale for $44.99
Saint Emilion / Bordeaux / France
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
Located east of the village of Saint Emilion, Tour Saint Christophe is a 48 acre vineyard planted to Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged for 18 months in 60% new French oak barrels.
2020 Altos las Hormigas Reserve
On Sale for $24.99
Valle de Uco / Mendoza / Argentina
100% Malbec
Sourced from vineyards with a predominance of sand, this full bodied Malbec was aged in a combination of large oak barrels and concrete tanks. All the fruit was hand harvested and native yeast was employed for fermentation.