Wine with Leslie: The best of Bordeaux - starting at €16 at Dunnes
Route des Chateaux, Vineyard in Medoc, amous wine estate of Bordeaux wine, Gironde, France
Forgive me, I’m talking about Bordeaux yet again.
The reason is straightforward enough: I keep tasting good quality Bordeaux at (mostly) affordable prices, and I feel you need to know the value the region offers right now at both entry-level and in fine wines.
I should also mention that I was treated to a very enjoyable dinner with Lillian Barton in her ancestral home of Straffan House, now better known as the K Club.
Lillian oversees the wines of Château Léoville Barton, Langoa Barton and Mauvesin Barton, and has created a special house wine for the K-Club with their sommelier Lisa O’Doherty who is by now an old friend (and has access to more Barton wines than I suspect anyone in the country).
The K-Club has always taken their wine list seriously, and offers a tour of their atmospheric wine cellar which includes a wine-tasting masterclass with Lisa which includes a tasting of four Barton wines.
Lillian Barton is the 9th generation of Bartons who are originally from Fermanagh, and like her predecessors has maintained close links to Ireland. I met her before at the Ballymaloe Literary Festival.
The Second Growth (2ème Grand Cru Classé) Cháteau Leoville Barton is the star in their range, and the 2012 we tasted had cedar and dark berry aromas with lithe supple fruits and remarkable depth and complexity.
Recent vintages cost €150-170, but I notice that Wicklow Wine Co. has the excellent 2014 for just €108.50.
The 2009 Château Langoa Barton (3ème Grand Cru Classé) almost outshone its big brother thanks to its meaty richness and liquorice accents, and Ch. Mauvesin-Barton 2015 showed ripe red fruits and creamy touches - Matsons have the 2012 for €33.
Recommendations are from Bordeaux and are restrained in style so perfect for matching steak or perhaps a wild mushroom frittata.
Dunnes always have decent inexpensive Bordeaux on offer, watch for Ch. de Barbe (€11.60), Ch. Moulin Macquin (€12) and Ch. Bois-Pertuis (€10.24).
Château Victoria is new to me; classic Médoc in style, taut and elegant with some cedar and dark fruit aromas, dark chocolate notes mix with blackcurrant and a touch of green pepper - grip, fruit and length.
Mitchells are Bordeaux specialists with a huge range at all prices and well worth a pilgrimage.
This is new to them - family-owned and organic since 2010, dark red-black centre with some brick edges beginning to form, baked cherry and dark fruit aromas, chewy blackcurrants and liquorice on the palate, pushing above its price point.
MacCurtain Wine Cellar; corkscrew.ie; Widely available.
The second wine of Château Léoville Barton and always a delight even in difficult years (as 2017 was for some).
This has weighty black fruit aromas with a touch of cedar and spice, blackberry essence with gorgeous purity and freshness. The 2016 is a little richer and more layered (MacCurtain).
The Method & Madness range was introduced by Midleton in 2017 and has become a laboratory for experimentation and innovation.
This is the first single malt to be created in the Midleton micro-distillery and was aged in first-fill Bourbon casks and second-fill Sherry butts.
Floral, honeyed aromas with a background of dried fruits - smooth on the attack with citrus and pears, leading to spice and cooked honey on the finish followed by lingering sweet vanilla, pepper and herbal notes (e.g. rosemary).
Gorgeous.
