Malaysia has plenty of wine drinkers, but very few drinkers of wine.
Tristan and I work together, both first year teachers at an International school.
We have a lot in common, wine happens to be one of them. While he does not readily admit it, he is a drinker of wine. Our conversations have shown he takes his consumption seriously.
I asked him to share his thoughts here when he mentioned he had randomly purchased a Montaribaldi Rosso Dolce Birbet. A sweet, sparkling, red desert wine from Piedmont with a very low alcohol.
These were all details Tristan was unaware of when he purchased the wine.
He changed his mind and opened this Bordeaux in its place.
A reluctant commentator of wine, he is certainly fantastic with vocabulary and tale, as his comments below reflect.
I await with anticipation his words on the Birbet.
Wordsmith, drinker of wine, connoisseur of fonts and good friend.
Without further delay, I give you, Tristan J.
2016 Château Peyruchet Bordeaux
I am an amateur. Make no mistake. While I possess the fandom and enthusiastic passion necessary to call oneself an aficionado; I lack the knowledge required to be labelled such in all pursuits; particularly when it comes to wine. However, as a result of a friendly request and with nothing else to lose, I offer my opinion on wine to those willing and able to bear it.
The notion of the ‘new normal’ suggests, at least to me, that things seemed to have changed for the long-term; perhaps never to return to the so-called ‘good old days’ of the distant past or even just this past January. If that’s so, then I’m in trouble, because these days, my ‘new normal’ seems to be the continual over consumption of claret.
I must admit that I have always had a tendency to gravitate toward Australian varieties; predominantly from South Australian regions; but this MCO has given me an opportunity to branch out and spread my wings. While others are locked down, facing solitude and isolation; I’ve continually been transported to wine regions across the globe, drinking varieties I have never heard of before, let alone tasted. In fact, I had planned to write about a chance encounter with an Italian birbet, but for reasons which I won’t divulge here, that bottle remains on the shelf.
Instead, I have decided to explore a 2016 Château Peyruchet Bordeaux that I had found (along with the birbet) on a recent trip to the Village Pantry. The MCO had decimated the store’s once abundant range. It seems that people now clamour to stockpile wine with as much voraciousness as they did toilet paper in the early days of the pandemic. Shelves formed the skeletal remains reminiscent of a half eaten animal carcass felled on the Serengeti with bottles of wine sticking out like rib bones; picked dry by a pack of hungry hyenas and I was the vulture, swooping in to feast on the scraps.
Dark berries were significant in the Bordeaux, both on the nose and in the palate. There was a hint of ripe citrus as well; and a favourite of mine, was the rubbery smell that you get from sniffing the inside of a brand new pair of shoes. The taste was less tannic than I had expected and finished pleasantly smooth. Overall, this was a fine drinking experience.
I paired the Bordeaux with a deliciously succulent homemade roast chicken which was set amongst crispy potatoes and roasted vegetables; the result was extremely favourable. At its price point, I found the 2016 Château Peyruchet Bordeaux to be a solid wine with much to like.
After dinner, I sat on the couch – wine in hand – and finished the bottle while watching the latest episode of the ‘Last Dance’, wondering if the title was not a poignant representation of my journey as a wine blogger. I guess only time will tell.
