Just a quick note on a couple of wines we opened this week. First a 2009 Charles Krug Cabernet from Napa Valley. This was very good. Nice red fruit, good body and length. It’s still a little young, and the tannins will integrate with time in the bottle, or in the decanter. It was very enjoyable though, and we got it on sale under $20, so yes we would buy it and did buy it. Under $20 fits our once or twice a week category.
Second is a great value wine from the 2005 Bordeaux vintage: Sainte Colombe from the Cotes de Castillon on the Right Bank. This is why we buy Bordeaux primarily in great vintage years, because even the lower end producers do special things at reasonable prices. This is excellent, full bodied now with still solid structure. A delicious Bordeaux we bought for $8 a bottle. $8. A no-brainer everyday wine. Unfortunately we only have two bottles left. Even at $8 this is not the best value we got in 2005, that goes to Caronne Ste Gemme, which clocked in at $12 and is fabulous bottle of wine – one that will still last another 5-10 years. We still have three bottles of this left.
Third is another Bordeaux, a 2004 Chateau Clarke from Listrac in the Medoc. Yet another good bottle of wine from an unheralded vintage sandwiched between the excellent 2003 and the great 2005. (still have a case of 2003 left and that has also produced some crazy values – the last bottle of Chateau Faugeres we opened was radically good) The 2004 Clarke is very good, full bodied and not quite yet at peak. Could still use an hour in the decanter upon opening.
Last for this list is the 2010 Fox Brook Cabernet from the Napa/Sonoma region. This is full bodied, had good fruit, decent length and i quite acceptable as an everyday wine. It is good. We get it for an astounding 3 for $11. This is not a typo. Checking in at under $4 a bottle this is great value and we buy it by the case. A great everyday wine. We get it at the North Kingston Liquour Mart, which is a great place to browse in the back bin section, both for low priced values as well as steeply discounted higher end bottles.
In the next week we hit southern Italy and Spain, based on what;s lined up on the counter right now. Who knows after that.
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