Chateau Pontact-Lynch

Bordeaux's can be tough, especially for those of us who cut our "wine-teeth" on the luscious ripe wines of California. There's that sort of funky, earthy smell that you get when you first pour the wine, and then when that seems to have burnt off (if it does) you are left with a wine that is super-complex, relatively acidic and not as plump as you are used to. 

To top that off they are expensive! What's the point really, if you can get a big juicy Napa cab for half the price of a mid range Bordeaux?
What you have to come to understand is that Bordeaux's are just a different kind of beast altogether. First off they come from approximately the same latitude as Maine (compared to sunny southern California), the soil is so poor that "even cotton wouldn't grow there" according to Thomas Jefferson and the winemakers strive to make the wines which characterize their own special dirt! 
Yet here is where we come to the uniqueness, and in my opinion the purpose of Bordeaux wines, they are wines which demonstrate terrior over technology. 

The small sub-regions of Bordeaux, called appellations, like Paulliac, Graves and Margaux are only a few miles apart, yet the great wines from these regions each tell a unique tale of geology, history and the integration of man in nature. In addition to being a living catalog of soil and tradition these wines are designed to be paired with food. The slightly higher acidity and the more savory flavors are the perfect accompaniment to a rich bordelaise sauce or an herb crusted rack of lamb. You won’t find the cloying, jamminess that can accompanies the bigger Napa cabs, but rather a savory mix of cedar, tart blackberry and a hint of earthiness. 

In order to offer our cliental a chance to transition slowly from the well-known wines of California to wines like Bordeaux we have selected a number of well priced, approachable, yet still stylistically correct wines from Bordeaux like Chateau Pontac-Lynch.

Pontac-Lynch is in the Margaux appellation and is the next door neighbor to two of the region’s most famous vineyards; Chateau Margaux and Chateau Palmer. The wine is very bright and immediately enjoyable with notes of bright cherry, blackberry and the unique tannic bite found in the skins of ripe plums. The tannins are mild, tasting of a mix of cedar and black tea, while there is just a hint of that beautiful mushroom/forest floor terrior that Margaux is known for. 

If you are interested in trying something new in wine, and haven’t sampled the wines from Bordeaux, come by and try a bottle of Chateau Pontac-Lynch. I promise you that you’ll be glad you did.