“Fun”, “cheap”, “organic”, “Bordeaux”
You might expect some of these words to go together, but almost certainly not all of them! But times are changing and over the last few years, an increasing number of such wines are appearing in French shops. These are a few I’ve tried recently, all costing 5 euros a bottle:
Château des Aubiers - Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux - White - 2019
I’m not always good at spotting aromas but last night this one was easy-peasy: ripe pears, very fresh and juicy, followed by some apple and citrus fruits, with just a hint of pepper. The attack is much the same, very fresh flavours of pear, apple and lemon, with a fairly rich middle section and a long, silky finish, with a little pepper at the end.
This put a smile on my face, it’s zingy and spritzy, really good fun to drink. It’s made from a blend of sauvignon, sémillon and muscadelle: I think the peppery touch comes from the latter. It was not at all what I was expecting - I’m used to cheap Bordeaux whites which try to taste as if they come from Pessac-Léognan. I rushed out this morning to buy some more.
Château Maragane - Cuvée les 5 Grains - Bordeaux Supérieur - 2016
Very floral bouquet, rather like a Loire red, full of spring flowers and bright red fruit. A very fruity attack of red cherry and blackberry, with quite an intense middle section where raspberry comes through and a crisp, fresh finish. Quite similar to a Saumur-Champigny.
Château Joumes-Fillon - Bordeaux Supérieur - 2016
Less floral than the Maragane I tried it with, but still a charming bouquet of ripe, but not overripe dark cherry and blueberry, then again, a fruity attack, this time of darker cherry and blueberry, with cassis coming next and a much more silky middle section, before another crisp, fresh finish.
Château Grand Launay - Côtes de Bourg - 2016
Unlike the others, this one has no added sulphur. Like the Maragane, I was surprised by the bouquet - very intense aromas of spring flowers, blueberries and blackcurrant. The attack is bright, pure and striking, with again loads of blueberries and blackcurrant, then a rich middle section edging more towards raspberry flavours, finishing with a long, slightly chalky finale which leaves a sensation of freshness.
Normally when I waffle about flavours, I mean they remind me of fruit flavours, but in this case, the wine really does taste of pure, clean fruit. It’s 100% Merlot, which would normally send me running in the opposite direction, but this isn’t overblown, over-concentrated and reeking of oak: it’s just fruit without any oak at all.
All three reds were revelations - it’s much easier to find cheap whites in France than cheap reds, and with Bordeaux, normally at this price level you get a rustic finish to remind you why it was cheap, but they all maintained the purity until the end.
To find good organic wines for 5 euros would have been impossible a few years ago.