When I first received this bottle of Bordeaux in the mail, its Bad Boy name and whimsical label, which features a black sheep and an arrow labeled "garage," meant little to me. But after doing some research, I discovered the whole thing makes quite a bit of sense.
The inky red wine, which is 95 percent Merlot and 5 percent Cabernet Franc, hails from the famous French region of Bordeaux, which is known for its style of highly tannic, collectible wines. But this bottle is different: It's the venture of Jean-Luc Thunevin, a leader in what's known as the garage wine movement, an effort that's focused on developing bolder, fruitier Bordeaux wines that can be enjoyed right away.
Wine critic Robert Parker deemed Bordeaux's black sheep, Thunevin, a "bad boy," which explains how the wine's name came to be. It may be a silly name, but the wine is satiny, with earthy plum notes, and the subtlest hint of smoke. And, at $17.50, it's priced rather affordably. Are you familiar with this wine and Bordeaux's garage wine movement?
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Fly London
Oh I love it and even better it comes with such a great story!
1It is interesting that after all this time California wine making is still having its effect on the French. While Bordeaux estates were restricted by the grapes grown on their own estate properties, fiercely guarded winemaking techniques and grape compositions, there was still only so much one could expect from the chateaux: if you had bad weather where you were, then you were at the mercy of what you had in the vineyard.
2It doesn't surprise anyone that someone finally decided to select grapes from a variety of places then, still within Bordeaux proper, but in order to make an interesting wine. After all, why should anyone have to subsist on mediocre years of mediocre wine just because a big name was on the bottle?
Then, too, the issue has always been whether one wants to wait for 10..15...or even 25 years before drinking a fine wine. While I can certainly applaud this kind of foresight in the modern age of immediate and total gratification, one certainly needs something to drink with the lamb stew while waiting for the chance to have the Chateaubriand. Recently I posted some tasting notes on older Bordeaux, but who can afford to drink it that often? After all, any good food deserves better than decent wine.
For more information on Bordeaux wines I recommend checking out EnjoyBordeaux.com it is a great wine resource for the region.
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