A powerful red that tries to impress you. Tries it quite hard.
merlot
Retrospective – a lineup of 2014 Bordeaux reds
My friend András collected a bunch of 2014 reds from Bordeaux many years ago, when they were on the market. It was now time to open them he thought a few weeks ago, so we asked our little wine club if anyone was interested, and let me tell you that I rarely seen such interest from people – we were a bit too many at the end. I cannot understand why Bordeaux is unfashionable on the market as it’s still a favourite of real wine lovers. Me included. And these 2014s were really superb, I loved most of them. My favourites were the Ch. Phelan-Segur, the Ch. Gloria, the Ch. Figeac and the Ch. Chasse-Spleen, all rather medium-bodied and elegant. Continue reading
Hungarian flagship reds IV.: Gere Kopar 2020
The last wine from the blindtasting covered by previous posts is probably Hungary’s most famous big red: the Kopar from Gere. It was first made in 1997 if not even earlier, so there’s history to it; it’s made to last and I can confirm that it’s able to age for 15 years or more. Personally I often found it a bit too sweet in the past, but the current release is just great.
Hungarian flagship reds III.: Heimann Barbár 2019
Heimann Barbár combines Bordeaux varieties with a bit of kékfrankos, and perhaps even more interestingly with a splash of tannat. The 2019 vintage is highly acclaimed by the Hungarian wine media, but it was less successful in our blindtasting.Hungarian flagship reds II.: Sauska Cuvée 7 Siklós, 2019
Next in the big red lineup I mentioned last time was the Sauska 7 Siklós, a Bordeaux blend from Villány. Compared to the Merengő, it comes from a warmer region and there is no kékfrankos included in it, yet the wine is not that dissimilar.
Supermarket wines: Auchans Montagne Saint-Emilion 2020
Auchans own label called Pierre Chanau is quite reliable, at least that’s my experience from the last few years. Except a few underperforming bottles I had mostly good to very good ones, and many are great values. This Montagne Saint-Emilion is another well-made wine. Continue reading
Great merlot from Hungary: Gere Solus 2006 from Villány
High end merlot was a thing in Hungary two decades ago, inspired by the great supertuscan examples if I’m not mistaken. Expensive big, beefy reds arenow mostly out of favor here as well, but that’s a different story. The Gere Solus was (and still is) one, if not the most coveted example of this style. And well, it’s amazing as a 16 year old wine.
A great merlot from Tuscany: Máté Mantus 2002
Are you a fan of big Tuscan merlot? This is just beautiful. Continue reading
Supermarket wines: Pierre Chanau Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux 2019
New vintage of this great value entry level Bordeaux red, the Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux from Auchan’s own label series. The 2018 was probably even better, though I’m not sure – they are a bit different, showing vintage character I guess. Both very well made and enjoyable.
