Wines before their big chill!

I recently had the pleasure to participate in the Planet-Bordeaux’s Twitter Taste-Live Event featuring four summertime Bordeaux wines.  If you are looking to expand your wine repertoire this summer, take a break from Chardonnay’s and White Zinfandels’ and try these excellent alternatives:

Dourthe Grand Cuvee 2010  100% Sauvignon Blanc; Fresh grapefruit on the nose, a lush green apple in the mouth, this wine has crisp clean finish. This wine is a great daytime summertime sipping wine, alone or with fresh lunch-time fare.  And hats off to the winemaker for Americanizing the label!  Suggested retail price of $12  www.dourthe.com

Chateau La Freynelle 2010  50% Sauvignon Blanc 30% Semillon 20% Muscadelle; Fresh melon on the nose with honeysuckle and floras’ in the mouth. This wine had sweetness about it. I grew to enjoy it when I paired it with some Parrano cheese from Holland. The sharpness of the Parmesan Gouda blend cheese balanced out the sweet finish of this wine. Suggested retail price $13 www.vbarthe.com

Chateau Ballan Larquette Rose 2009 45% Merlot 40% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Cab Franc; I detected a bit of dirt on the nose, so I decanted this wine after it had been chilled.  One hour after opening, this wine presented nicely with dried strawberries and watermelon in the mouth. This rose was a bit heavy to drink on its own; this is a wine that needs a meal. Absent a full meal, I had this wine with brie and it became a much friendlier wine. I could see enjoying this wine with a summer crab feast. Suggested retail price $16 www.chateau-ballanlarquette.com

Chateau Fontenille 2010 ~ Bordeaux Clairet 100% Cab Franc; This wine was complex. Fresh fruits on the nose, raspberry in the mouth and sweet-tarts on the finish. This wine is calling for a pizza! Absent a pizza on hand, I paired it with the Parrano cheese, and it was exactly what this wine needed.   The group had a lively discussion on the difference between Clairet and Claret. The French refer to Clairet as a light red wine (different from rose). The British often call all red Bordeaux as ‘Claret’. Another wine-tid-bit to add to the collection! Suggested retail price $14 www.chateau-fontenille.com

I encourage you to get some friends together; get these wines, or another assortment of  White, Rose and Clairet Bordeaux’s’ and host your own Planet Bordeaux this summer. Have on hand some spicy ribs, plenty of cheese and perhaps a pizza or two and send me your tasting notes!

Many thanks got to Michael Wangbickler http://www.balzac.com of Balzac Communications & Marketing for hosting this lively twitter tasting. The exchange of tasting notes and opinions was educational and fun!

These wines were provided as a trade sample.