Bordeaux « Wilson on Wines

SEVEN RED WINES TO BUY AT THE LIDL FRENCH WINE SALE

Posted by admin on January 26, 2016

Lidl recently held a tasting of their next French offer, that will start on 22nd February. This will be smaller in size than Christmas or September, but there were some good red wines, mainly Bordeaux.

Beaujolais Villages 2014 €9.99 – very, very light, but smells and tastes like Beaujolais. If you want something tasty to drink while watching TV, this might fit the bill.

Ch Clos Fontaine 2010, Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux €12.99 – from a good vintage, this wine is now mature, with lovely ripe cassis and plums and decent length. Great value.

Ch. Quattre 2009 Cahors €12.99 – if, like me, you like firm, cool wines with chunky black fruits and a dry finish then buy this to sup with your breast of duck (also available from Lidl).

Ch. de Carles 2008, Fronsac €17.99 – light and soft with easy ripe plummy fruits. Fully mature and reasonable value for money.

Josephine de Boyd 2009, Margaux €24.99 –fragrant on the nose, with some new oak; a nice concentration of elegant smooth blackcurrant fruits with a dry finish. Very good. This is from Ch. Boyd Cantenac, a Grand Cru Classé.

Ch. Livran 2010, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc €14.99 – a wine I used to drink regularly many years ago. Four-square meaty, firm solid claret. Decant and drink with roast red meats or keep a year or two.

Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2011, Saint Julien €24.99 – my sheet said only available through Lidl Customer Service, but my local branch (Greystones) still has this, and other fine wines, left over from the Christmas sale. This is from another Grand Cru Classé, Ch. Lagrange. I really like its elegant smooth blackcurrant and mint fruit and effortless elegance.

Staff Party

Posted by admin on December 22, 2015

One of the disadvantages of being self-employed is you don’t get to go to work parties; or maybe that is a benefit? Feeling slightly sorry for myself, I invited Joe Breen, a friend and my predecessor in the Irish Times wine column, around for our own staff party – lunch in my house. As we were eating a small roast of lamb followed by some cheese, I decided to open two Cabernets. Both were magnificent, and we spent a very happy afternoon righting the wrongs of the world over two delicious and very different wines.

Ch. Léoville-Barton 1996, St. Julien

Ch. Léoville-Barton has always been one of my favourite wines of Bordeaux. The Barton family have remained true to the traditional more elegant style of claret, resisting the temptation to bump up the ripeness, alcohol and new oak to please some sectors of the market. They have also been restrained in their pricing; both Langoa and Léoville-Barton remain relative bargains when compared to their peers. The result is beautifully made restrained wines at affordable prices.

I have tasted the 1996 Léoville a number of times with mixed results. A few bottles have been distinctly barnyardy, but others were much better. This was one of the best bottles. Fully mature, with a wonderful fragrance and elegant blackcurrant, mint and cigar box. Classic St. Julien. Good length and still very much all there. It did not fade at all over three hours. A real treat.

Isole e Olena Collezione Privata Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 IGT Toscana

Isole e Olena is one of the greatest producers of Chianti Classico. Paulo di Marche also makes a few excellent varietal wines, including this Cabernet. It was an excellent wine, certainly superior to most of the rival Cabernet-based ‘super-Tuscans’ that I have tasted over the years.

A puppy when tasted alongside the Léoville-Barton, but this is a magnificent wine. Tight and tannic with masses of firm ripe dark berry fruits (and a healthy 14.5% alcohol) this needed the lamb to provide a foil for the tannins. It opened out beautifully over the course of a few hours.

Tags: Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Isole e Olena, Leoville Barton

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