In the winter months – and with C*****mas looming on the horizon – many wine drinkers turn to the classics such as Bordeaux and Chablis. Although Claret isn’t the best match for the traditional turkey, many disregard that and drink it simply because they like it – or like me, drink it with something other than turkey!
First, a quick refresher on the AOCs of the Médoc, the left bank peninsula which is home to many of Bordeaux’s world-famous Châteaux:
As a generalisation, the AOCs of the Médoc are considered to be ranked as follows:
- Pauillac & Margaux
- Saint-Julien & Saint-Estèphe
- Listrac-Médoc & Moulis-en-Médoc
- Haut Médoc
- Médoc
Of course, the quality of any wine is heavily dependent on the producer and vintage.
Here is a trio of Bordeaux reds that are drinking superbly right now and won’t break the bank:
Disclosure: samples were kindly provided, opinions remain my own
Château Monteil d’Arsac, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois 2014 (13.0%, RRP €18.95 at Molloys)
The Cru Bourgeois label is for the “Best of the Rest”, i.e. those Médoc estates not included in the 1855 classification. It was introduced in 1932 covering 444 estates, but between 2003 and 2007 it was altered, updated, split, reversed, and finally annulled – phasing in and out of the space-time continuum like transport ships caught in the nexus. In 2010 a completely new version was published for the 2008 vintage, and it is revised annually based on the quality of the wines submitted.
If drinking this wine makes me bourgeois then that’s all right with me! It’s quite smooth with oodles of black fruit and tangy red fruit. There’s also a spicy element then pencil shavings and plums on the finish. This is an excellent wine for the price, probably the best Bordeaux under €20 I’ve tasted for years!
Château Moulin-Borie, Listrac-Médoc 2015 (13.5%, RRP €24.95 at Molloys)
Château Moulin-Borie is owned and run by Bruno-Eugène Borie who is also the proprietor of Saint-Julien’s Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, a Second Growth in the 1855 Classification. Moulin-Borie is located in the appellation of Listrac-Médoc which is humbler than the big guns of Pauillac and co but is nevertheless capable of producing very good wines.
Despite coming from a ripe year, this is very classic left bank Bordeaux. it shows lots of black fruit and a touch of vanilla, but also quite savoury, with cedar and black olive notes just starting to appear. It’s mid weight, not a wine that weighs you down, and very classy. I would definitely be interested in trying this wine after another five years of maturation – time to buy a few for the cellar I think!
Château Castelbruck Margaux 2014 (13.0%, RRP €32.00 at Molloys)
Margaux is seen as the most feminine of the big four AOCs and often shows an ethereal quality which eludes the others. This 2014 is still quite young but very approachable and dangerously drinkable! It has ripe, juicy blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry and plum – so ripe that you almost feel like you are biting into actual fruit! Fine cocoa powder and a touch of pencil shavings are part of a wonderful finish.
It’s sometimes said that Cabernet-based wines are a good match for chocolate and it doesn’t usually do much for me, but in this case a few squares of high cocoa-content black chocolate went down a treat with the wine! For me, a big glass and a warm fire would be perfection.
