Tag Archives: Saint-Émilion

How Not To Hate A Wine: Give Cheese A Chance

Posted on December 6, 2017 by waywardwine

Ever try a wine and hate it? Yeah, me too. But before we blame the wine, maybe give it a second chance. Actually, give it some food.

It is freezing outside and I am in the mood for a hearty Bordeaux. Some Bordeaux need years to work, while others taste brilliant young. So, when I find a Right Bank, Merlot blend, from the ripe 2009 vintage, I consider myself safe. Doubly so, this is young Château Vignot (est 2003) with modernist Pierre Seillan at the helm, Kendall Jackson money backing it, and a website pushing words like “approachable”, “elegant”, “feminine”, “silky”, and the phrase, “meant to be enjoyed upon release”. It all seems overeager to please.

Is it? Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bordeaux, Chateau Vignot, Cheese, drink, Grand cru, Saint-Émilion, wine | Leave a comment

Halloween Wine: Cheval des Andes Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza Argentina 2009

Posted on October 16, 2015 by waywardwine

One day we will stop referencing Sideways. Today is not one of them. Eleven years on, the film continues to kill Merlot. Although Miles railed against the grape, his prized bottle turned out to be an iconic Merlot: Cheval Blanc, 1er Grand Cru classé A, Saint-Émilion 1961…that he drank with fast food: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bordeaux, cabernet, Cheval Blanc, Cheval des Andes, drink, Food, France, Halloween, malbec, Mendoza, Mendoza Argentina, Saint-Émilion, travel, wine | 2 Comments

Mähler-Besse “Cheval Noir” Grand Vin, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France 2009

Posted on January 23, 2014 by waywardwine

It is Thursday. Work-weariness be damned. I could use a drink.

Since we reached Bordeaux with Monday’s EU Austerity Drinking Tour, nostalgic, I decide to crack open a Bordelaise stateside. Tonight’s entry derives from Saint-Emilion: famed sub-region on the Dordogne River’s right bank.

The world drinks and grows Merlot because of Saint-Émilion. Veins remain in its chalky cliffs, cut by Roman vine roots nearly two millennia ago. Sideways may have tarnished the grape and drunk Cheval Blanc from a paper cup. But wines from Saint-Émilion steadfastly remain the most expensive and collected worldwide.

Tonight, we drink 2009’s Cheval Noir (no relation to the famed Blanc). Continue reading →