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2016 Château Puygueraud - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (11/20/2023)
TN in the style of Burgundy Al . . .
Stand up tasting (as Zachy's Portchester). Brief Note. Light on its feet, smooth and ready to drink. Fruity with a hint of a floral nose. Good value at $45 for a Magnum.
TN in the style of Tom Hill . . . long and boring
Followed not from he beginning, but only from two days ago. I had never seen or heard of this wine when we stopped at Zachys to pick up some 2001 Merus that I had won at auction. I was going to pass, but it was the only thing left on the tasting table. Other than that it was Bordeaux, knew nothing about it.
It was obviously merlot driven, with a velvety mouth feel for a young Bordeaux. Tech sheet on the website says 80% Merlot/15% Cab Franc/5% Malbec. 14.5% ABV. For a Bordeaux? Yes, and it's not overly alcohol driven. Is this modern style? I suppose so. Clean, not dirty. Fruit, not leather and horse corral driven. Wait 20 years? Not required. Did they learn from Valandraud? No. It must have been Derenoncourt, cut from the same cloth, who was instrumental at Pavie-Maquin, also owned by the Thienpont family that already owned Puygueraud.
How long to decant? Hard to say because Zachys was pouring this from magnum and constant tipping of the bottle to pour over about 4 hours will shake it up and oxygenate. My guess is that a 2 hour decant will smooth it out, but probably good right out of the bottle. This is a keeper for the price, especially if you happen to be 72 years old and can't wait 13 more years.
Bottom line - this is an excellent buy at $45 for a magnum. And that's from someone whose favorite wines are MacDonald, Scarecrow, Saxum and SQN. (91 points)
Posted from CellarTracker