So we decided to continue to delve into the wines brought back from France a few years ago with this inexpensive red. Lussac-Saint-Émilion is part of the Bordeaux region and a sub appellation of the Saint-Émilion. Most of the producers in here still remain family operations and the price on the wines remains some of the real bargains from Bordeaux. This wine is primarily Merlot but is blended with some Cab (I believe Franc if my taste buds are worth anything) but in reality that is just a guess as trying to find any information on this vintage was impossible (oh google why do you let me down?). One interesting note before I get into the tasting was the fact that the cork was covered (see the picture below) with Tartrate crystals, something which is uncommon but happens in wines. These clear crystals do not alter the taste (at least that I have found) and do not represent a ‘corked’ wine either. Tartaric Acid is the culprit for this interesting formation which is better represented by this picture here. Anyways, on to the tasting!
Decanting this wine showed off the interesting tartrates and a nice purple colour with heavy raspberry nose. Several swirls of the glass brought out more berry and a tad bit of oak with a hint of vanilla. The first couple of sips showed good fruit with solid tannins. Black cherry (a common aroma for this style) with heavy raspberry and blackberry came out in this fruit forward wine. The finish was long and smooth and as the wine opened up cinnamon and light spiciness came out. Overall the wine was very well balanced and for the price this wine tasted above and beyond expectations. With the firm tannins and solid fruit I would hazard to guess this could be cellared for 2 to 7 years longer and you will notice changes that should be positive, though it is ready to drink now if you are so fortunate to have one or two stashed away.
The CWG Subjective Rating for this wine is 89 out of 100.
Mrs CWG says
What a great bargain, I am glad we still have another bottle!
CWG’s Sabbatical OVER!
Well sort of! I am back from a longer then usual business trip and with a few pictures and comments to fill the blank space until a new review. Here we go:
Had these three wines the night before I left. Quickly: The Trius was below average, not what I expected from them, Thirty Bench disapointed all of us with a rather average Chardonnay, Arrowood impressed us to the point that Mrs CWG is demanding I bring back some on the next trip to California. In fact, the 2005 Sonoma County Chardonnay was outstanding and rates a 90+ from this wino.
Where the heck can you find wine in Canada for less then two 2L bottles of Coke? I did not venture to try any of the Oak Lead offerings, but worst case I guess you could distill it …
Let’s see 11.95 or 4.97? Quite a price difference for us Canucks, not that I recommend buying Yellow Tail Shiraz.
Had this nice inexpensive Malbec out with friends in Yuma, Az. Good tannins and structure, I think if you had the patience the Ique Malbec would reward you.
This interlude brought to you by Chimay on tap at Sogno DiVino in San Diego. Not wine but extremely yummy none the less!
and Lastly, this is the best present to come home to: