By cork
Don’t believe the hype. Wine store owners will tell you Bordeaux is dead, and they can’t get them off the shelves. Sommeliers will tell you that they leave Bordeaux off wine menus because it’s no longer hip. Whatever. If you listen to them long enough you would miss out on the excellent and affordably-priced CHATEAU CLARKE Listrac-Medoc from Baron Edmond de Rothschild—member of the famous old European banking dynasty and related to James of Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The 2012 bottling is 70% Merlot coming from the Medoc, a part of Bordeaux where Cabernet is king (the rest of the blend is 30% Cabernet Sauvignon) but of a vintage where Merlot grapes fared better than Cab. The result is a juicy and structured red wine, with a complete profile of everything you want in a Bordeaux: robust and succulent fruit, good structure, fresh acidity, earthiness, minerality, soft tannins and silky smooth texture, and strong character. Dude, this is just solid. And so much class. This kind of sophistication in the bottle just isn’t found that often at this price, especially for a Bordeaux. Don’t let the negative hype on Bordeaux steer you wrong, ‘cause this wine is so right. –J.M.
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Added to: Really Good Wine List [March 2016]