TALKING ABOUT BORDEAUX 2006

This week, while am enjoying a bit of R&R, I plan on exploring a bit of the 2006 Bordeaux wines that just came in to our stores. With the follow-up to the downright uber-ripe 2005 vintage – wines that most would argue mirror those from Napa in density and richness – the 2006 vintage was by most accounts, a solid vintage. The issue isn’t that the wines are good (because they are). No, the issue is that the vintage comes after a very, highly-sought-after vintage, one which found collectors stockpiling and neophytes clamoring to get their share.

Many of the wines I brought in from the 2006 vintage were the usual, consistent suspects such as Chateaux Lynch-Bages, Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Leoville-Poyferre and Gloria. Yet my focus, as is with most buys these days, is value; I wanted to bring in the most “bang-for-your-buck” wines from this storied region.

In doing so, I stumbled onto four very solid choices: the Chateau La Vieille Cure Fronsac, the Chateau Croix-Mouton Bordeaux-Superieur, the Chateau Paveil de Luze Margaux, and the Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe Cotes du Castillon. Each one offers a bit different style, yet each one satisfies the curiosity of wine buyers eager to try Bordeaux, yet unwilling to sacrifice a car payment or a utility bill for a bottle of the stuff.

Over the next week, I will offer up my notes on these four particular wines, while also offering up a bit of insight into the places from which they came. Hopefully, you’ll get a bit more understanding of the venerable and often-misunderstood and maligned region of Bordeaux.

Stay tuned.