2000 Chateau de Francs, Bordeaux-Cotes de Francs – $8 at Walla Walla GO
This is my fourth or fifth bottle of the 2000 Chateau de Francs since it appeared in Walla Walla in May, and I decided (at BargainWhine’s prompting) to review it for the new “guest contributions” blog.
What is it? 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 12.5% alcohol. I.e., a Bordeaux blend in the Right Bank style, which means Merlot is the main varietal. More specifically, this wine started life as posh grapes grown on a medieval estate in Bordeaux’s smallest, and one of its youngest (1967), appellations, Cotes de Francs. The region, the chateau, and its wines can be read about at the website of the chateau’s co-owner, Dominique Hebrard. Until 1999 Hebrard owned the St.-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe estate, Cheval Blanc, and is a large-scale high-end Bordeaux negociant; he bought the chateau in the 1980s with Hubert de Bouard, owner of Chateau L’Angelus, also St.-Emilion Grand Cru Classe. So absolutely nothing shabby about where these grapes came from and who produced the wine. Also, 2000 was one of the great years in Bordeaux generally, and this particular one boasts a Gold Medal at the 2002 Paris Concours General Agricole. They make two red wines from the property, a lower-quantity production called “Les Cerisiers” (The Cherry Trees), and this one, a higher-quantity production (120,000-140,000 bottles, according to the current website). So this is definitely designed as a “value” Bordeaux—but one that still stands proud and offers plenty of details to enjoy in its label and bottling (e.g. the cork is also stamped on the top with the vintage year). It came into the US market via Marie Brizard, the huge French liquor conglomerate. One can only speculate as to its odyssey in the states for the last ten years, its storage conditions, etc.
How is it? Let me say right off the bat that I like this wine. But it may not be for everyone or amenable to everyone’s tastes and palate. It may also be showing signs of age, perhaps even serious signs of age or storage at higher than optimal temperatures (at least that’s the assessment of its most recent annotator on cellartracker; without disputing his judgment whatsoever, I would just say that his tasting notes indicate a strong preference for more fruit-forward New World wines; which just goes to my main point here that this bottle is probably not for everyone). It is definitely subtle and dry. But it is, in my opinion, still quite balanced, without the slightest traces of funk on the nose or bitterness in the mid-palate and finish. Hints of what fine fruits were probably once there come out strongest when you uncork the bottle on the second day (I usually store it without refrigeration, in my cellar room). The color is light garnet, so it has definitely lightened from the “deep ruby-crimson” used to describe it on the label. On the palate a red bell pepper taste predominates, with an almost tomato quality when swished for awhile; its texture is mellow, smooth, silky (indicative of its age), with tannins that still give a bit of pucker when held in the mouth for a good amount of time. Again, the balance of acid and tannins is apparent on the long finish (and again, we’re not talking a fruit-forward finish). As I said, I like it, and this is almost in spite of myself. Each time I’ve opened a bottle I’ve sort of expected to find it ultimately unpleasing, but each time it has surprised me. Given this, I’m on the lookout for a more recent vintage to try, with the expectation that—as Talia Baiocchi’s notes on it also suggest, “reliability and tremendous value”–it is indeed a great value for the price.
Is it a deal? Both Les Cerisiers and this one retail in newer vintages for around the same price, $15-18, with the former a bit higher. (I checked wine searcher and vintages from 2002-2008 can be had in that range.) But the 2000 is not readily available anymore, and no wonder, since it was not really designed for cellaring potential and this one has no doubt arrived on GO shelves as a result of somebody—Brizard?—clearing out inventory. That said, $8 is still not a bad price for it; although, if it were $7 or $6 I’d jump more quickly on a few more bottles….to enjoy by myself in secret.
I’d give it a Thumbs Up if it were a more approachable crowd-pleaser; but since it is more of a specialized taste, I give it a hearty Drinkable.
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet: Guest Contributions 