Chateau Barrryres
Haut Medoc
Cru Bourgois 2006
In 1986 when I was earning just £6,200 a year in a very modest job in the City (just round the corner from St Paul's) I treated myself to the most expensive shoes I have ever bought - a pair of hand finished brogues from Church & Co. They cost me £108 (1/4 of my salary in those days) and I still have the receipt to prove it. Wearing them I felt that I was something much bigger than I really was in the City. I loved the squeak they made, the way they hugged my feet and they way they shone - and got better with every polish. However, in shoe making terms Church's shoes, while truly exquisite and an investment purchase in anyone's books, offer just a taste of what true craftsman-made shoes can offer. They are fine but not as fine as the ultimate English shoemaking experience offered by John Lobb which must surely be the pinnacle of shoemaking heaven, as adorned by Kings, Prime Ministers, Heads of State, Lords and so on.
And this is exactly what I felt about this wonderful entry level experience of a fine wine offered by this cheeky, elegant little number that I found hiding on the shelves in Sainsbury's in Barkingside of all places, one of several capitals of Chav Heaven in a county know more for its bling than it bon biveur.
In the hierarchy of Haut Medoc classifications, Cru Bourgeois wines, which have now been removed as a designation (pending the outcome of various legal wrangling) is essentially the bottom end of the fine wine ladder. However, to descibe this wine as 'bottom end' or an 'entry level fine wine' is to do it a severe injuustice, not least of all because I do think that this is a truly elegant and exquisite number that offers all the things that the boys and girls on the fine wine tasting panels are looking for. And at £9.99 what you get in this particular bottle is a supple, silky wine that clearly has enormous potential to develop greater complexity in coming years.
A well crafted balance between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter has clearly made its presence felt by offering some well rounded tannins and a tempered woodiness, while the overall mix of the two grapes fuses together to create a licorice and lavender bouquet which is simply magical. I drank this in nearly one sitting nibbling bits of French cheese left over from Christmas. Mrs W agreed that there was a strong hint of licorice but didn't quite get the lavender. However, she did agree that it was a finely made wine and wanted to know its retail provenance - for fear that I had sneaked into some horrendlously well heeled wine purveyor in the City. 'Well actually, I bought it in Essex in Sainsbury's', came my reply - 'and I shall be buying some more, if not to drink now to lay down for Christmas 2010, 11 and beyond', I hastily added.
To counterbalance my enthusiasm, I have to confess that elegant though it is, this is a lighter, dare I say feminine Claret which may lose its way alongside some overpowering steak or game dishes. However, it is none the less a fine bottle of wine for it and I shall be venturing back to Sainsbury's, if not to Essex, to grab a few more at this implausible cheap price of £9.99.
And referring back to my analogy over a pair of shoes, I do feel that this is the sort of wine that really could get you imagining just what it might be like to taste a Chateau Lafite, Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau Beychevelle - wearing a pair of John Lobb brogues.
Very Decent Wine: 8/10
Dinner Party Appeal: 9/10 (this one has legs
Probability of Buying Again: 10/10
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