Wine: Chateau Moulin de Citran 2008, Haut-Medoc — €14.99
I say unlucky because I can now rarely afford the wines that first charmed me from this region when I joined a wine club in 1992.
Now I never thought I would be writing this, but if you want to buy some very good Bordeaux from the excellent 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages this Autumn you should head to Lidl from September 8. The chain is putting wine at the forefront of its move to capture the middle-class shopper and I think their upcoming sale will be a bit of a game-changer and really put it up to the other multiples.
Not to be outdone Dunnes Stores will also have an excellent French wine sale at the same time (beginning September 6) but with less emphasis on Bordeaux — more on this next week.
Among the non-Bordeaux wines to watch out for in Lidl next Monday week include their Alsace Rieslings, and the La Belle Blonde Macon Villages for its tipicité — classic Chardonnay flavours — melon and citrus — with decent mouthfeel and nice lingering lemon touches. The Rhones are also good — eg, Dom. du Pont le Vey and Messir de Very from Séguret.
My selections below are reasonably affordable Bordeaux but if you have a little spare cash you should pick up some Chateau Nenin 2010 from Pomerol, one of that great appellations finest wines. The Nenin was originally going to be sold at €80 (which would still have been good value) but has now been marked down to €65. Yes, still a lot of money, but this complex violet and chocolate scented wine is a delight from the aroma to the finish — I loved its dense layers of fruit, its grace and its balance.
Pauillac de Haut Bages Libéral 2010 (€27) was another highlight and the second wine of Chateau Lascombes 2010 (€30) is also worth a risk (it was left out of the tasting I attended).
Lidl
The second wine of the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Chateau Citran which was founded over 600 years ago. This has very solid fruit aromas and flavours, decent concentration and chewy blackcurrant fruit at a supremely affordable price. This will drink well for at least another three years.
Lidl
Cotes de Castillon is a St Emillon satellite vineyard with similar characteristics if not quite the same intensity. This is from a renowned producer (they also own Ch De Clotte) with soft fruit, decent complexity, a floral centre and lingering plum fruit — very good for the price.
Lidl
There are lots of wines named Bellevue, Belle-Vue etc and it is easy to confuse them. This is from the Médoc (the northern most part of the peninsula) from the great 2010 vintage. Classic bright juicy Bordeaux, a little on the young side with some chewy blackcurrant flavours but that black fruit should win you over thanks to its soft centre and chewy cedar and spice finish.
Lidl
St Estephe is the most northerly of the great vineyards of the Medoc and often a little in the shadow of Margaux and Pauillac. Dry complex typical St Estephe flavours (pencil-lead and complex black fruit) with a soft centre to charm you and a structured finish. Drink now or allow to soften a little over the next 8-10 years.
Lidl
Chateau Siaurac is in the same hands as Vray Croix de Gay Pomerol and Le Prieué St Emillon Grand Cru Classé. A tour of this beautiful property is strongly recommended if you are ever in the area. This is a blend of the difficult 2007 vintage, specially created for Lidl with lots of ripe mature merlot fruit and some chocolate and spice characteristics. For drinking now.
Lidl
In general I preferred the wines in the tasting from the 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages but this was the exception. Despite its youth this has plenty of charm and I liked its upfront ripe red and black fruit aromas and flavours. There is a little tannic structure on the end-palate and spiky black chewiness but this makes it even more suitable for a decent steak.
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