2016 Chateau les Aubiers Cotes de Bordeaux

 

2016 Chateau les Aubiers Cotes de Bordeaux

Vintage: 2016

Region: Bordeaux (Blaye), France
Winery: Chateau les Aubiers

Varieties: 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec

Price: $6.99 (at Costco)

Critic Rating: 91 Points

My Rating: 91 Points

The Review: I must admit, I've recently been on a bit of a more traditional region wine kick... Burgundies, Tuscans, and of course, Bordeaux. Normally I try to be adventurous in my wine drinking- lesser-known regions, maybe a weird grape, or the occasional "natural wine"- but I'm loving my explorations of these classic regions (they're famous for a reason!). This wine today, however, allowed me to get a little mix of a classic region, but less traditional farming practices and winemaking techniques (it's very cool if you're a nerd that is interested in agricultural practices, but I'll spare you the details). Also, it was $6.99 at Costco and it normally retails for ~$40!

As the home of some of the most well-known grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and even Malbec, Bordeaux has been putting out the most famous Cab and Merlot-based blends for centuries. It's been the benchmark for Cabs and Merlots forever, and it still has quite the grip on the wine market despite the emergence of competitors (Napa). Normally in these regions, you get very little experimenting, mostly because our French friends are scared to stray from tradition. But in a small subregion that's recently come to be known as Cotes de Bordeaux, many young producers are emerging as the next wave of Bordeaux legends. You'll find that these producers often experiment with sustainable/organic farming practices, and are much more focused on pushing the limits as opposed to staying in their lane. Oh, and the best part is that the wines are usually pretty cheap too.

The 2016 Chateau les Aubiers Cotes de Bordeaux is a Merlot dominant blend (cue rant about Merlot being delicious) coming from a small region known as Blaye. The winery has been organic since 2011, and they age in cement as opposed to oak because they're #counterculture. Despite some a-traditional methods, this wine is everything you're looking for in a red Bordeaux. It's got a nose that's filled with black cherry, currant, plum, and some blackberry, as well as that classic Bordeaux earthiness. The wine presented great acidity and popped with fresh black fruits. It was balanced nicely by some scorched earth, dried leather, and dried herbs which really center us back into a very traditional Bordeaux wine.

This wine has incredible structure and depth and is certainly set to age beautifully (thinking over a decade at least). But, for $6.99 there's no need to wait. Open it the night before, drink it; maybe let it sit open even longer, then drink it some more. I would probably suggest having it with food... However, if you do want to age something, this wine presents an interesting opportunity. Rarely do you find something ageable for so cheap, so if you feel so inclined, grab a few bottles and open one each year for a few years. Take notes, see how it changes over time. I bet you'd be surprised. Either way, this deal is too good to miss, and it's a phenomenal wine. Hope everyone has done their snow dances if you're on the east coast. I really don't wanna go to class Monday, so at least do it for me.

drink what you like,

db