Recommendation: A very inexpensive, very drinkable red Bordeaux.
Winery/Producer: Chateau Puycarpin; Belves-De-Castillon, France.
Grape Variety: Bordeaux Blend: 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Bordeaux, France.
Vintage: 2010
Price: $12.39 (with a 30% mixed 6-pack discount)
Purchased From: Ralphs Grocery Store; Agoura Hills, California.
Paired With: Barbecued chicken with blue cheese slaw. Garden salad with Bulgarian feta.
Tasting:
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He said: Opened 2-hours before drinking. Dark garnet/purple color with a light purple/brick red rim. Light plum aroma. Fairly smooth dark fruit taste (almost nondescript) that leads to a dry, slightly spicy long finish ending with some bitterness. It’s thin in mouth-feel and flavors, but has excellent ripe tannins and was quite drinkable. It should be noted this was opened for 2-hours and it still greatly improved while we were drinking it, I’m sure if we drank it immediately after opening the review would have been terrible. I bought this on a whim…”real” red Bordeaux for $12…I couldn’t resist…and in the end it was an EXCELLENT buy!!! This isn’t great Bordeaux, but for a grocery store purchase at this price it easily fits into our Quality wine at a Bargain price category. This was FAR better than I imagined it would be when I bought it (in bold type)!!! If it’s in your grocery store and you want a very inexpensive, very drinkable red Bordeaux, buy it and you will not be disappointed (don’t forget to open and/or decant it well ahead of drinking).
She said: Dark garnet color, opaque, thick well moving legs. Not good with my salad, but then it wasn’t chosen for that. Once I finished my dinner and I began to sip the wine without food I started to appreciate it. The aroma was mild and slightly fruity; the taste was equally mild but the mouth feel had pleasant tannins that followed through to the finish and provided something to savor. The wine was dry and somewhat light bodied but excels because of its mouth feel and long finish. I think it would be excellent with beef, but is delicious as a sipping wine and a good value at $12. I would buy it again and recommend it as a bargain wine.
Alcohol: 14%
UPC Code: 6 03568 10120 4
Imported by: The Wine Source; Gardena, California.
Photo from Wines Up.