Bordeaux-style Red Blend

Country: US / Claret Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend California Winery: St. Francis / Sonoma County At five years, the wine still retains some charm, but is showing its age. It’s a little tired in structure, and the fruit is fading, turning dry and leathery. But there’s cherries and cassis, with some complexity in the finish. […]

Country: US / Murray Cuvée Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Washington Winery: Hightower / Columbia Valley (WA) This vintage mixes fruit from Red Mountain and Alder Ridge (in the Horse Heaven Hills). Aromatic and soft, it’s a five-grape Bordeaux-style blend, half Cabernet Sauvignon, and it carries that grape’s herbal stamp. Tannins are a bit earthy, but […]

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Franc le Maine / Saint-Émilion Tannic and dry, this wine is beginning to show its age. It still has some juicy red fruits but they are covered by the firm structure and dusty character of the wine. It needs to be drunk now.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château de Villambis / Haut-Médoc A soft, juicy wine, it is fresh with attractive red berry fruits. It has a crisp, light feel, with the tannins giving the possibility of medium-term aging.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château de Côme / Saint-Estèphe Oak influence shows strongly on this wine, giving a smooth texture and soft tannins. It has a light texture, fresh with black currant fruitiness attractively balanced with acidity. For the medium term, the wine should be drunk from 2015.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Vieux Robin / Médoc This is a soft wine, with rounded tannins that emerge from the ripe black plum fruitiness. The structure is well integrated into the fruit, giving a wine that is for short-term aging. Drink now.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Tour Saint-Fort / Saint-Estèphe This is a fruity wine, full of acidity, ripe tannins and just touches of new wood. With the structural weight, it has some potential, leaving a fruity, fresher aftertaste.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Tour Canon / Canon-Fronsac A light, fruity and fresh wine, it shows attractive black currant fruits. With just a touch of Cabernet Franc to give perfume, it is well balanced with tannins underlying the juicy fruit and acidity. Drink from 2016.

Country: France / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Bordeaux Winery: Château Labadie / Médoc A solid wine that shows both juicy black fruits and some more bitter, licorice flavors. That suggests toasty wood used in the aging that does need time to soften and will always leave a dry character to the wine. Drink from 2017.

Country: South Africa / Series M Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend Paarl Winery: Vilafonté / Zelma Long’s tradition of excellence continues with the Series M: Its deep chocolate, cinnamon and berry aromas and full, complex waves of delicious fruit and spice are exactly what a Bordeaux blend should be. Restrained but memorable, the wine has firm […]

Country: US / Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend California Winery: Space Cowboy / Napa Valley This round, approachable and likable wine blends 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Bright cherry and plum notes meet generous leather and tobacco flavors, finding a nice balance between fruit and spice.

Country: US / Nikiara Variety: Bordeaux-style Red Blend California Winery: Le Vigne / Paso Robles This is one of the Fillippini family winery’s best barrel blends, comprised of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, 10% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The nose shows Concord grape, wisteria and black licorice aromas, while the palate doubles down on […]