Winery: Château Laronde Desormes
Wine: Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
Location: Bordeaux Supérieur, France
Purchased: Friar Tuck
Price: $15.99

 

As the saying goes, what a difference a year makes. Jonathan and I first sampled this wine last September. As I re-read what I wrote about the wine the first time, a few things stood out. First, we chose this wine because we were preparing to go to France and were drinking more French wines. The bin for this wine was nearly empty so we figured others liked it. Secondly, I originally found this wine “interesting, mainly with the way the addition of food changed the entire complexity of the wine.” Jonathan did not have such favorable reviews the first time. He thought, “the wine almost tasted bitter and didn’t taste the fruit flavors

 

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Every Friday, our local wine store hosts “Friday at Five.” It’s their version of happy hour. They provide several wines by the glass for $5 and a special $10 premium pour. Jonathan and I had never been to a Friday at Five, we usually go to the tastings on Saturday. However, this week’s e-mail stated they would have an ultra premium pour. Wine Spectator’s 2008 wine of the year, Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005, by the glass for $15. I was sold – I had to taste!

 

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As wine drinkers we all have our favorites, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay or Merlot. Looking outside our normal delights opens an entire new wine world to us. Here are a few out of the ordinary grape varieties to consider.

 

Whites

Albariño: This grape is grown in the northeastern province of Galicia, Spain and northern Portugal. There it is spelled alvarinho. It makes a delicious, light, lemony, and often slightly spritzy wine.

 

Grüener Veltliner: An Austrian grape that packs a punch! It carries spicy and musky flavors, with a peppery finish.

 

Macabeo: This grape hails from Northern Spain and is also known as viura. It’s one of the three grapes used in making Spanish cava or sparkling wine. It’s the primary white grape of Rioja.

 

Cortese: A grape that is grown in Northwestern Italy, it makes a medium-bodied wine called Gavi. Traditionally, it’s been the most prized wine of the Piedmont region.

 

Roussanne: A French Rhone variety, often blended with Marsanne, considered elegant and floral. Both Roussanne and Marsanne grapes produce dry white wines.

 

Reds

Carmenère: Once grown in Bordeaux, now this grape finds a home in Chile. Often, Chilean wines labeled as Merlot are made in part from carmenère.

 

Monastrell: A widely planted Spanish grape often used to make rosés and red wines. This is the Spanish name for what the French call mourvèdre.

 

Nero d’ Avola: This grape is also called calabrese. It creates full-bodied and complex wines from Sicily.

 

Petit Verdot: Commonly known as a Bordeaux blending grape, it adds spice, depth and color to wines.

 

Pinotage: A South African cross between pinot noir and cinsaut.

Winery:  Château Laronde Desormes

Wine: Red Bordeaux 2005

Location: Bordeaux Supérieur, France

Purchased: Friar Tuck

Price: 15.99

 

This was an interesting pick for us. We’re trying to drink more Bordeaux style wines in an effort to broaden our palate before a trip to France and Spain next year. I say it was interesting because the method we used for choosing the wine was unconventional. We set a price range at the store, and then looked to see which wine had the emptiest bin. We thought this meant that most people liked this wine. For us, we were half right.

 

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