Confessions of a Wino

This time, from my Wine Society 2005’s, under the microscope is Château Puy Garance…

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Have you ever tasted a really good bottle of claret?  I don’t mean a Château Latour or Mouton Rothschild, there are much cheaper wines that are truly excellent.

When you find one, your mouth zings and you make a strange face like you’ve just reached orgasm and everyone looks at you like you’re a nutter.

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Take a red bell pepper, half it then add a dash of fresh lime juice and cook over an oak smoked barbecue.  Then serve it with some fresh berry fruits.  This rather specific and hyper-pretentious description of Grand-Puy-Lacoste came to me as I finished off the bottle with my brain somewhat the worse for wear.

I bought two Bordeaux wines en primeur from the 2003 vintage.  I have already posted about Château du Tetre from Margaux.  The other was Grand-Puy-Lacoste from Pauillac.

The wines are said to be more robust in Pauillac.  Personally I love the subtlety of Margaux.  However, Pauillac is one of the (if not THE) most respected wine regions in the world so I must take it seriously.

A very promising wine.  Maybe just needs some more time in the bottle.  I think 2003 was a good year so I may seek out some cheaper wines from this vintage.  Especially now that everyone is falling over themselves to spend every penny they possess on 2005…

Have you ever heard of the Fratellis?  I bought their new album, Costello Music, recently and I was not impressed.  I may be showing my age here, but I have heard it all before.  One track sounded like Status Quo, the next was reminiscent of The Clash and the next could have been (maybe was???) written by Ray Davies.  One hit wonders, if ever I made such a prediction.

So why did I buy it?  Because I heard someone on BBC Radio 2 mention it as the latest thing.  And this is broadly the same reason I bought 2003 Bordeaux en primeur.

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Wow – the Wine Society sent me an enticing offer.  “A first taste of 2005!”.  Twelve bottles for a mouthwatering 67 of my English punts.

Now really….  It’s in their interest to big up the supposed best year in Bordeaux for several millennia – well according to the venerable Robert Parker at least.  (Personally I am amazed that an American has any understanding of how to get out of his own state, let alone gain a deep understanding of European culture).  I mean how many of you Europeans has met an American who knows the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?

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OK sorry guys but it is a claret.  Most people probably don’t consider Bordeaux reds to offer remarkable value for money, especially given the en primeur prices quoted for the 2005 vintage which made my eyes water.  However its probably fair to say that if you consider quality independent of price, then Bordeaux would be near the top of most wine enthusiasts’ lists.

This is why, despite the exorbitant prices I broke the bank to reserve a few bottles of 2005.  Something I may post about in 2015 (if I am still alive) when they are ready for drinking…

Anyway, back to the wine in question which I opened on our balcony in the summer of 2006 with my good mate Tony the self styled Lord of St Helens and his charming wife Jeanette.

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