What’s the most famous wine region in the world? Here’s a hint. Where are there lots of chateaux and wine villages like Margaux, St. Julien, and Pauillac? It’s also the most famous and largest wine region in France. The answer is Bordeaux.
The 2017 Mouton Cadet Heritage ($24.99 at all Richmond BC Liquor Stores) is a recent and more premium addition to the Mouton Cadet line. First launched in 1930 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, owner of the famous Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Mouton Cadet became a gateway wine into French Bordeaux. The affordable price, the mass marketing, and the consistency of the product appealed to the novice wine drinkers. Today it’s Bordeaux’s most popular wine.
The new Heritage stands out on shelves with its heritage label based on the original 1930’s Mouton Cadet label. Like Mouton Cadet, it’s a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. The Merlot adds the red fruit flavours of plum; the Cab Sauv provides cassis and structure and some aging, and the Cab Franc some perfume and elegance. Both wines benefit from fruit harvested in several Bordeaux regions, providing consistency year to year.
It’s a savoury red with earthiness and oak, spice and graphite and is best paired with lamb, beef, or duck. The Heritage is still a young wine and would benefit from another couple of years of cellaring to smooth out the tannins.
Next I tasted 2016 Chateau La Gorce ($26.99 available at Richmond BCLS). It’s a Cru Bourgeois, which is new Bordeaux designation indicating a higher pedigree and comes from the Médoc region of Bordeaux. The Médoc produces the most famous Bordeaux wines and stretches north-west from the city of Bordeaux along the left bank of the Gironde estuary. Wines from the Médoc are always red blends of at two or more grape varieties with Cabernet Sauvignon being the dominant varietal.
Stylistically, Médoc wines display more nuanced flavours and less-up front fruit. Elegant and sophisticated are accurate descriptors. And they can be cellared much longer than most reds to produce complexity in the aroma and flavour. Finally, the wines of Médoc are very terroir driven which defines a specific region based on the climate, soil, and the collective knowledge of the chateaux.
The best Médocs can command stellar prices such as Chateau Mouton Rothschild which costs $1800 for one bottle! But many of them are much more affordable.
La Gorce is one of these. It’s produced from the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, which allows it to be enjoyed earlier than the more expensive Chateaux.
I love its dark ruby colour and its bouquet of licorice, cherry, plum, cassis and blackberry with vanilla, toast, and violets. La Gorce is medium bodied with flavours of black and red fruits, forest floor, and smooth tannins. Serve with Lamb Chops au Poivre.
My favourite Médoc was the 2009 Chateau Fonréaud ($51.99 at BCLS Brighouse). It’s another Cru Bourgeois, this time from the Listrac-Médoc. That’s one of the six communal appellations of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux that includes St-Julien, Pauillac, St-Estèphe, and Moulis.
Chateau Fonréaud is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. The wine has a violet appearance indicating it’s in its prime. There’s a generous bouquet of black and red fruit including cassis and blackberry with black cherry, vanilla and graphite.
On the palate there’s plenty of black currant and plum, with hints of mushroom and forest floor as well as baking spice. Despite its 12 years, it’s still fresh, ripe, and elegant with polished tannins. I thoroughly enjoyed the Fonréaud with a medium rare roast beef dinner and delicious gravy made with a decent splash of the wine!
With February 14th approaching in a few weeks, consider one of today’s reds to add a touch of class and a touch of Bordeaux and the Médoc to a romantic Valentine’s dinner.
