For some that know me, my fondness for French wines is somewhat challenged. In general you need to pay a higher price to gain quality which doesn't always hold true in wines from other parts of the world.
So as I continue to challenge one of my favorite wines shops to recommend an under $20 bottle of French wine that I might like, I think they found one.
My take on French wines is they're very earthy, dry and tannic. Therefore, I needed to let this assumption go before tasting this wine or I was never going to get over my little hang up.
The nose brought out dark cherries, roasted coffee and hints of smoke and herbs. With this aroma blend I was soon forgetting my preconceived notions. On the first sip a heavy alcohol "pop" was there but soon diminished after 15 minutes in the glass. Flavors of mocha along with cherries and a minor tartness on the tannins left me to believe a short decanting would help. Sure enough, after 20 minutes the tannins somewhat smoothed out and the finish had a nice length to it. Plums seemed to come out now in the flavor profile followed by a subtle roasted coffee on the finish. The tannins seemed to balance well with the flavors however it's not for the faint lover of "easy drinking" style wines. Full body would be my take on this Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend.
For many French wine producers the 2009s were outstanding. 2010 was a bit more challenging year with alcohol levels and tannins being higher. Given this overall synopsis, this 2010 is quite nice especially being under $20 for a relatively young wine. It's starting to change my mind. Let's hope for more to do so as well.
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