When you talk about wine and France, sooner or later you have to talk about Bordeaux. There is no other region in France (or the world for that matter) that dominates the world wine market like this one region. Quite simply Bordeaux is the most collectible wine region.
The region is divided into several appellations, but can be simplified by dividing the region into "left bank" or "right bank". Right bank refers to any vineyard on the right of the Dordogne River and left bank refers to any vineyard on the left of the Garrone River. Most red Bordeaux wines are blends of the following grape varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Right bank wines tend to be dominated by Merlot and are usually softer and more approachable than their left bank counterparts which are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and tend to be more tannic and long lived.
The Bordeaux I opened Tuesday was a 2005 Chateau La Tour de Mons. This is a small producer from the Margaux region which is on the left bank, but the quality of the 2005 vintage was so good that there are great quality wines to be found at the lower price points. This bottle was in a 375mL size and I bought it at a wine sale for $6. I believe retail on a 750mL size is around $20, but at either price point I find it a good bargain.
The color was a very deep purple and initially the aromas were kind of closed. I didn't smell much other than some dark berries. As the wine had time to open up I started to smell some black raspberries and cherries. There was also some oak, but it was well integrated.
The taste was black fruit with some roasted fig, spices and light oak. There was good acidity and the tannins were still powerful, but overall this had a good silky mouth feel. I think this will last another 10 years at least.
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