Château Moureau Bordeaux (2005)

This Château Moureau Bordeaux 2005 is quite wonderful. I can’t remember where we purchased this wine. Tom thinks it came from one of our wine clubs and he is probably right. (I need to start marking the wines as they arrive, or when we purchase from the store, so I remember.) Nevertheless, this is a delicious red wine. The nose is anise and honeysuckle. On the palate is a balanced quaff with firm tannins and a lengthy finish of redwood and oregano.

We will have this wine with a leftover pot of soup that I made for our pre-Thanksgiving meal: beef-barley soup. This soup is delicious and is the result of several days of preparation — starting with the cooking of a roast, followed by the sauteeing of onions, garlic, potatoes, and carrots, and then adding tomatoes, broth, barley, and, as my son says, “what not”. . . anyway, it makes a yummy soup and that is what we will have tonight for dinner. Cheers!

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux (2005)

This Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2005 is wonderful. It has true tea-like tannicity. The tastes are hints of tobacco and dark fruit. It has the Old World dryness and austerity, but the fruit is still present and delicious.

It’s very drinkable and pleasing. (I have to make a note to get more of this and get Melody’s reaction.)

La Cour Pavillon Bordeaux Superieur (2005)

We have had this La Cour Pavillion Bordeaux Superieur 2005 before and we will have it again. It is a delicious red wine. The color is dark red, the nose is rich berries — perhaps raspberries and cherries. On the palate is fruit – perhaps a bit of syrup, yet it has a smooth texture and good tannicity. The finish is chocolate-covered cherries – but emphasis on the chocolate, not the cherries, in case you are worried this is too sweet. It is not. The balance is less sweet than dry. Yumm.

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux (2004)

This Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2004 consists of a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. I purchased this wine for just under $10. I am enjoying the wine but I can’t, in good conscious, rave about it. The complexity is not what I had expected from a French Bordeaux. It is quite simple, but very drinkable. I have made a beef stew for our dinner tonight and I am not certain this wine will hold up well, but we’ll see. The nose is pleasant but it is not particularly savory. While the taste is lovely, it is not complex. And, finally, the finish is brief.

All in all, this is a highly drinkable wine with absolutely nothing objectionable about it. It is just that it is simple and should be enjoyed as a simple, mid-week quaff.

The label says, “Le vin il nait, puis il vit, mais point ne meurt en l’homme il survit.” (Wine is born, and ages, but it never dies, for it lives on within the drinker.)

La Cour Pavillon Bordeaux Superieur (2005)

We belong to a couple of wine clubs. This La Cour Pavillon Bordeaux Superieur 2005 arrived today from “4 Seasons.” It is always fun and exciting to open the box of wine. I had a feeling I was going to really enjoy this particular wine. I am very fond of French Bordeaux generally, and especially if it has the qualities I enjoy.Well, this one does.

The nose is dark cherries and raspberries. In the mouth it is silky smooth with well-structured tannins. The finish is chocolaty and spicy. Long after the sip is finished I can taste chocolate-covered cherries. Yet, the wine is not overly jammy and is not sweet. My kind of wine! This La Cour Pavillon (The Court House) Bordeaux 2005 is simply wonderful. I am delighted that our wine club shipped four bottles of this!

I can’t brag too much about dinner tonight. I have been so busy at work so all I did tonight was to thaw a batch of chili for dinner tonight. It is simmering on the stove while we read the paper and enjoy this lovely Bordeaux. Although I will make a fresh salad from my garden, it is hardly a meal to brag about!

Château Michel de Vert Lussac Saint-Emilion (2005)

This Château Michel de Vert Lussac Saint-Emilion 2005, a French blend of merlot and cabernet franc, is a lovely, mellow, and satisfying red wine. We purchased this wine at Trader Joe’s in Ann Arbor for $8.49. This will go well with out dinner tonight. Because it is a dark, rainy, and chilly night in Michigan, and because I have an abundance of ripe tomatoes in my little garden, I have made a cast-iron skillet chili with nothing but fresh ingredients! A little ground beef, garlic, onions, thyme, oregano, tumeric, black beans, cannelli (white) beans, kidney beans, and about six freshly-chopped tomatoes picked right from the vine! It is simmering now while we read the paper, talk, and enjoy our cocktail hour.

This Château Michel de Vert Lussac Saint-Emilion 2005 has a very pleasant nose and a mild taste on the palate. The finish is short but delicious. I think it is fresh — just like the tomatoes. I would purchase this again!

Tom: This Château Michel de Vert Lussac Saint-Emilion 2005 is tannic and tasty. It’s on the soft side compared to some Bordeaux, which makes sense given that it’s 80% merlot and 20% cabernet franc (no cabernet sauvignon). An interesting and delicious wine.

Château Saint-Sulpice Bordeaux (2004)

This Château Saint-Sulpice Bordeaux 2004 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. It is extremely fragrant — the aroma of pencil shavings was noticeable even before I reached for the glass. On the palate is a blend of warm sunshine (it’s the only way I know how to describe that special taste) and fruitcake. The body is light. This is a dry wine that makes your mouth pucker. It’s fabulous; if you love dry red wine, you’ll love this one.

Château Du Buisson Bordeaux (2005)

This Château Du Buisson Bordeaux 2005 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow. I was very pleasantly surprised at this wine. Tom bought this wine tonight at Trader Joe’s in Ann Arbor for around $7. The color is deep reddish purple. The nose is fresh and exhilarating. On the palate is a hint of licorice, some vanilla, and oak. This is a very dry and tannic wine. What I love about this wine is that it is not sweet or overly fruity — I am not a fan of jammy wine. I really like this wine very much!

Tom: This Château Du Buisson Bordeaux 2005 is a very nice, big-tasting red. The label says that it’s raised in oak barrels (elevé en fûts de chêne). It’s dry, a bit on the soft side (82% Merlot), with hints of cherry and vanilla. Very nice, very drinkable.

Beau-Rivage Bordeaux

This Beau-Rivage Bordeaux is a clear, medium ruby color. Prominent smoked meats, plums and green (bell) peppers on the nose. Nice high level of tannins. This wine grows on me as it breathes. I like it more now than I did 10 minutes ago. This wine has a peppercorn finish. I think this would be a great wine to serve with roast meats.

Tom: This has a rich (although slightly astringent) cabernet bouquet and taste. It’s tannic with nonobvious fruit flavor, perhaps some chocolate flavor. It’s a drinkable everyday cabernet but our recent cabernets are more memorable.