Wine: Solid Bordeaux reds and options for dinner
I apologise in advance for this column as there is considerable decadence ahead. I was lucky enough to visit Adare Manor for one of their prized wine evenings recently, the good news however is that these evenings are open to anyone for approximately €75 to €85 per person — excellent value given the wines being served.
The next dinner is on April 4 and focused around the excellent Mas La Plana from Torres, often cited as one of the world’s best Cabernet Sauvignons — see below. The man behind these dinners is head sommelier at Adare Jurica Gojevic, who has built up a very impressive cellar with wines such as Châteaux Petrus, Lafite, Mouton and Yquem plus stars from Burgundy, Italy and Spain.
For our four course dinner we got to drink three vintages of Château Lagrange, a wine I’ve followed for years. Lagrange is a Troisième Grand Cru Classé (third Growth) from Saint Julien in the Médoc, the same commune as Léoville-Barton and Graud Larose Its near neighbour. Another neighbour is Larose Trintaudon/Larose Perganson which I recommend below.
The 2000 and 2011 Lagrange were nicely matched with meltingly rich braised short rib beef — the famed 2000 showed best with concentrated black fruits and supple tannins but the 2011 held its own despite being a rather forgotten vintage. The silkily delicious 1996 vintage shone with some mature Coolea cheese — the 1996 is arguably the best vintage in the history of Lagrange according to winemaker Matthieu Bordes who introduced the wines and told us the history of the Château.
For dessert Château Rayne-Vigneau Sauternes 2009 — packed with honeyed apricots and tropical mango aromas and flavours and pristine acidity — was matched with a light caramel mousse and mandarin sorbet.
The wines on the night were supplied by Forrestal wines (forrestal.ie) who mainly sell to restaurants but also to private clients. Ron tells me he currently stocks Lagrange from 1996, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012 including some magnums.
The less famous vintages always cost a little less and I picked up some excellent 2012 from a Lidl Christmas sale a few years ago. By coincidence Lidl’s 2019 French wine sale begins on Monday — I recommend three solid Bordeaux from the sale below.
For the Diary: Adare Manor, Torres Mas La Plana Wine Evening, Thursday, April 4, €85 per person, Tel: 061-605271 or email guestrelations@adaremanor.com
BEST VALUE UNDER €15
The Haut-Médoc is the southern section of the Médoc peninsula at higher elevation and contains 15 smaller communes (Pauillac, Saint-Julien). Aromas of light cedar, bright plum and blackcurrant fruits with the ripeness showing through, fruity and ripe with some youthful structure showing but overall this has remarkably good fruit and complexity for the price.
From the largest ‘satellite’ of Saint-Émilion (just to the north) which is usually a good source of fruit-driven Merlot-based Bordeaux. This has ripe blackberry and dark fruit aromas, structured and bright on the palate. This is still very youthful and would benefit from decanting (or up to three years in bottle) but with a steak this should show well.
Saint- Émilion on the right bank of the Garonne often has the easiest drinking of all Bordeauxes. This is young but at 14% ABV and with dominant ripe fruits this is another find. Plums and pencil pairing aromas followed by a solidly fruity palate. Some will find this a little too ‘New World’ in character but with a rich casserole or slow roast lamb this would be perfect.
BEST VALUE OVER €15
This vineyards of this Château were first planted in 1838 but the estate fell derelict until it was replanted in the 1960s. A large estate and always reliable the 2014 is fruit-driven and complex with classic structured fruit and tannins and good weight. The 2010 is still around (eg, Vintry) and is even better with extra depth and concentration.
This Château was brought back to life after years of neglect by the owners of Trintaudon in the late 1980s and is now one of the most sustainable Château in Bordeaux. From a 35ha vineyard this often has silkier fruit than its big brother with fine-textured dark fruits and elegance.
As with most fine Bordeaux there is more than one importer and you’ll find different vintages in the shops mentioned above — for top vintages (eg, 2009) the price jumps to €110-€130. The ’06 is underrated as is the ’11 and ’12, 1996 is gorgeous as is 2000 and 2005.
