2009 Château de Malengin

I've written about many wines from Cognac One, an importer that I know mostly from the Xavier Flouret marque. However, they import many other wonderful bottles, and have just brought a new bargain Bordeaux ($20) to the United States. If you read a lot of British novels written in the 70s and 80s as I did, you'd find many references to a "fine bottle of claret", opened at lunch in the case of Rumpole or at more appropriate hours in many other works. In these cases, they were referring to affordable, properly aged blended wines from Bordeaux.

Here we're talking about the right bank of the Dordogne in the small subregion of Montagne Saint-Émilion. The vineyard is owned by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, the only son of Baron Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild, who held substantial investments in the Bordeaux region, and the famous family has been involved in French wine production for 150 years.

2009 Château de Malengin
Montagne Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
$20, 13.5% abv.

The initial impression carries aromas of deep black cherry, and a little pencil shavings. Underlying tones of prune and spice. On the palate, you encounter smooth tannins and a light, mildly fruity body. Pleasant finish, and an excellent quality-price ratio. I enjoyed it with a bleu cheese burger and steak-cut fries with a rich aïoli. Excellent combination, and an affordable and delicious Bordeaux for the weekday dinner table.

Note: This wine was provided as a sample.