Day 39 of MCO.
We rarely drink Bordeaux. Even more rare the merlot dominate Saint-Émilon. I have no patience for Merlot.
We had occasion to tonight. Catching up with good friends in Australia who had just received their 2018 allocation of Lakes Folly Cabernet. In the absence of Cabernet in our cellar, our best option for a comparable ‘virtual’ tasting with the Lakes Folly was the Bordeaux.
Vintage, continent and grape variety aside… comparable?
It is cliché to say wine is a journey, but it is. My path has never taken me to Bordeaux. No real reason, the cards just fell that way.
Saint-Émilion is on the right bank of Bordeaux, and these wines are traditionally Merlot and Cabernet Franc, though there is some Cabernet Sauvignon. And that is the limit of my Bordeaux knowledge.
90% Merlot.
10 Cabernet Franc.
Lots of cherries and chocolate on the nose but there is some herbs and tobacco supporting the fruit to make it interesting, maybe from the Cabernet Franc. Plenty of fruit on the palate, the green herbs are replaced by a leathery deal. There is a pretty mineral component that Shell pointed out which I could not nail down. The tannins are soft and while the wine remains well balanced it is fading on the finish.
This is a one of the best Merlot dominant wines I have had and reframes the grape for me. I don’t think this wine will improve with more cellaring.
We got lucky with this one.
