Château Bourdieu, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux 2019

Regularly $17.99

Sale $14.39 – Beats Best US Price Online
Buy six or More Pay $12.99 – save 28%
Buy a Case Pay $11.99 – save 33%

97 pts Decanter World Wine Awards (And more…)

OK... I know what you're thinking... "97 pts? C'mon, Todd... no way..." Okay, so here's the setup... the wine was judged in a wine competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards, where the judges consist of top sommeliers and wine critics, including a slew of Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. These folks know what they are doing. Wines are grouped according to country, region, grapes, etc. so they are judged against and among their peers. Within this context, the wines are rated. In events like this, you may see lesser priced wines score highly. Sometimes, it is because of a limited sample size against which they are judged. In this case, though, 15,550 wines were judged, including 538 Bordeaux, so the "talent pool" was deep and broad. And, these surprises happen because the judging is truly blind. "What, you mean when critics taste wines, it isn't blind?" Sometimes yes... many times no. When a critic visits a winery, which many of them do when tasting, they bring with them preconceived notions. And that can translate into the ratings. Here, the wines are tasted completely blind, other than knowing the region.
 
Compare with these wines, which all scored 95-97 pts…

• Vignobles des Quatre Vents, Clos des Quatre Vents, Margaux 2018 - $55
• Château Rauzan-Gassies, L’Orme de Rauzan-Gassies, Haut-Médoc 2016 - $30
• Haut Breton Larigaudière, Margaux 2018 - $35
• Croix des Rouzes, Pomerol 2016 - $41

"Ok, but still... 97 pts? Really?

Nah. Not in an absolute sense. But I think it is a solid 90 pts.. which is where Antonio Galloni (89-91) and James Suckling (89-90) rated it.

So… solid 90 point Bordeaux, as low as $11.99? Back up the minivan…

Okay, so what do we have?

87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc from 25 year-old vines. When I tasted this back in October, it needed just a smidge of air to really get going. Maybe 20-30 minutes in a decanter. It’s developed more since then, making it pop-and-pour ready, but I’d still give it a little air if you can. Translation: this has a whole lot going on… punching way above its price tag! There’s deep, dark black cherry and plum fruit and long, fine tannins that beg for some hearty food!

“Flamboyant and deep, with ample, lush and fresh forest fruits, bramble and cassis, with cascading sweet spice swiftly following. A super, brooding wine which will shine brighter with time.” Decanter

“The 2019 Bourdieu is rich, fruity and super-expressive. Sweet floral and savory notes from the Cabernets perk up the Merlot fruit. Dark cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, red plum, mocha and licorice all build nicely in this sumptuous Côtes de Blaye. The 2019 has plenty to offer.” AG

“This is a chewy, juicy young Bordeaux with blackberry and wet-earth character. It’s medium-bodied with firm, dusty tannins.” JS


Or reply. The wine will be available Wednesday in Chapel Hill. Thursday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.