29 January 2013

The Battle of Bordeaux

June 1938. European heads of state are doing their thing and getting ready to murder lots of Joe-subs, again. Times like these lend themselves to blowing off steam. Nobody needed to do this more at this point than Czechoslovakia having just had a chunk of their country "annexed" by the Third Reich. Roll on June, that's just what they did.

In June 1938, the world blew off some serious steam. Czechoslovakia and Brazil lined up for a World Cup Quarter Final in Bordeaux, the Old World against the New. What happened was a feat of absolute madness; Three red cards, one broken leg, one broken arm and four pretty bad injuries to boot. Not to mention it ended after extra time in a draw. Oddly it seems this match may just mimic my own feelings towards the Old v.s. New World battle of how best to express Bordeaux styled wine.

On the day in question, the Czech captain stayed on the field of "battle" until the game ended, he was of course the gent modelling the broken arm. Similar to this tenacity, The Old World, although not at full form, is hanging in there. Against the odds, it's holding on and in some ways you've got to respect them for not walking out.

The New World on the other hand, seems something of a Brazil in this case. They have the opposition out-manned and out gunned, but, still just can't finish the job.

A bit like this match I though I'd have myself something of a little replay.

The Home Team (With a Technical Old World Sub)

  • Ch. Beau Rivage, 2006 (O'Brien's Wines, €19.99); Classic Bordeaux, austere but never unpleasant on the palate. A mouth feel and nose of cedar-box drenched in blackcurrant. On the palate there are no disappointments, with something of a typical Margaux styled texture of velvet. Coating and lingering finish, an absolute star, and all only AOC Bordeaux. Stunning wine. (Score: 89 Value: 4) RG 
  • Castres Rubra, Via Diagonalis (O'Brien's Wines, €15.99); St. Emilion, except, it's not, rather it's half the price of the home team and Bulgarian. Merlot touched up by Cabernet,   and our two Bulgarian friends Mavrud and Rubin. Heavily extracted autumn fruit make no qualms about expressing their presence, but are given terroirist twist by the small daubs of native grapes, leaving an edgy and alluring balance of dark fruit balanced on excellent acidity  seamlessly integrated tannin and a charming rustic attire. (Score: 90 Value: 4.5) RG  
  • Chateau Du Prieuré, AC Cote du Bordeaux 2005 (O'Brien's €17.99); Typically old fashioned bordeaux at an interestingly developed stage in it's life, elegant and complex with a finely tuned layer of red fruits offering up punctuated periodically by soft touches of cinnamon. (Sorce: 86 Value: 3)  RG
  • Chateau Cluzan, AC Bordeaux (Drinkstore, €10.99); Excellent balance  of fruit, acidity  tannin and oak. I am still waiting contently to be disappointed by a vintage of this. Red berries touched with Christmas spices sums it up in a nut shell. (Score: 89 Value: 5) RG
  • Chateau Pey la Tour 2008, AC Bordeaux (O'Briens, €17.99); Think St. Emilion, think lush abundant soft juicy blackberry and red fruit compote. After an hour of decanting this runs riot on the palate. This over-delivering wine works on a hedonistic approach typical to the right bank. Deliciously simple. (Score: 87 Value: 3) RG

Away Team

  • Longview, Cabernet Sauvignon, Devils Elbow (O'Brien's€19.99); This is a wine that has gained much respect here at Empty. More often than not this is heralded by ourselves as the bane of Bordeaux, at €20 this is still ridiculously under priced. Thick inky blackcurrants form an austere but pleasurable coat on the palate that is only enhanced by what seems as subtle oak use (the oak use is actually two years worth) this is all served up with a healthy dose of leafy and mint drenched tobacco flavour. Paulliac at less than half the price. (Score: 91 Value: 5) RG 


  • Wakefield, Cabernet Sauvignon (O'Brien's, €13.99); Another aussie Cab and this one is nothing short of a bargain. Lots of black autumn fruits; blackcurrant and berry all wrapped up in cedar box wood with a grained texture to boot. Textbook Cabernet. (Score: 88 Value: 4) RG


  • Norton, Privada (O'Brien's, €17.99); This is what Bordeaux blends are about, a serious and refined animal, capable of offering themselves in somewhat aristocratic robe, they offer brilliantly layered and complex wines. This does all that. There is an anecdote of a Bordelais winemaker noted the merits of all the the red Bordeaux varieties only to turn his nose at Mablec, which he contends is "only good for  filling up the tank". At 40% Mablec this may prove to be his undoing. Chunky fruits of a St. Estephe with all the assertive tannin and aromatics to pull of the veil successfully. Spectacular wine. (Score: 90 Value: 5) RG


  • Yalumba Y Series, Merlot SA (WinesMadeEasy.ie, Nationwide via Cassidy's Wine Merchant €14.99); Merlot as it should be opulent in every dimension. Flamboyant and rather the extrovert. Not the most overtly elegant wine you are likely to meet, but very very decadent. Red fruits, jammy and soft with faint notes of fresh herbs and some decent acidity to keep it from being syrup. (Score: 87 Value: 3.5) RG

  • Ring Bolt, Margaret River, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Tesco €13.99): Very Pronounced and offering up a hit of eucalyptus and a healthy dose of blackcurrant to compliment.  Layers open up and the real expression of this wine arises, cedar and tobacco, with chocolate creating a gel of the flavours, these earthy characteristics begin to become more leafy and fresh, with notes of mint and thyme appearing. Well blended mix of violets and blackcurrants coated the palate; sweet red peppers, cassis, and a faint truffle develop from the violets and blackcurrant. (Score: 87 Value: 4) RG

The Result?

Well, rather like the replay of the match the Old world guys seem to get blown away. The only note to this is of course they are bound to be. New world Bordeaux blends, while many are elegant are in a lot of cases huge blockbusters. Good wines, but bound to dwarf a true blood Bordeaux. They are very different types of wine, and it all depends on context to which wines here are going to suit who. For myself, I find that AC Bordeaux is offering up a lot more than you would expect and at good prices, it just takes a bit of tenacity to be rewarded, but after all Bordeaux is the worlds largest vineyard, it's going to be hit and miss at that scale. Hopefully these are the wines to blow off some of your own eternal winter induced stresses!





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