“A little more exuberant and less “refined” than most
Bordeaux that I’ve run into over the years…”
Click image to enlarge
It seems that I have found a kindred spirit in Steve, the wine guy at Westborn Market. I stopped in there a couple of days ago to find out if there were any plans to bring in more of the wines from Mary Taylor that I’ve so been enjoying lately, and not only did he assure me that, yes, he would be stocking more of them, but he also mentioned how much he really likes them too.
I’ve been getting my 2020 Mary Taylor Wines Christophe Avi Agenais Rosé, 2021 Mary Taylor Wines Olivier Gessler Côtes de Gascogne and 2020 Mary Taylor Wines Jean Marc Barthez Bordeaux Blanc at Westborn, but had totally whiffed on this one, because it sits right next to the Bordeaux Blanc and the labels are identical. Steve pointed it out, much to my delight, and I immediately brought one home with me to see what’s in the bottle. (It’s made by the same vigneron who is responsible for MT’s Bordeaux Blanc.) Here’s what I found.
2020 Mary Taylor Wines Jean Marc Barthez Bordeaux Rouge, 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% alc., $14.99: Showing clean, dark color, and offering attractive black fruit and tobacco on the nose, this delivers a generous mouthful of fairly ripe black currants and plums, shaded with notes of earth, leather and the aforementioned tobacco. Full-bodied and structured for a few years in the cellar, this is already drinking well with just a little air. A little more exuberant and less “refined” than most Bordeaux that I’ve run into over the years; frankly, if I were to taste this blind, I might peg it as being from somewhere else entirely. Nevertheless, it’s a very nice glass of wine for the money that’s good enough to go back for a second and, yes, a third pour. Enjoy it this summer with your grilled red meats. Find this wine
Imported by Nashawtuc LLC, Sandy Hook, CT
Neither glitzy nor flashy, but perfectly embodies the region’s rural soul. A signature blend of 50% Merlot with equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, even at its modest price point it possesses much of the dark-fruited complexity that made Bordeaux famous in the first place – but rendered in a brighter, more refreshing frame.
This “alternative” Bordeaux is populated by the small independent estates that line the banks of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, where conscientious growers craft honest bottles for everyday enjoyment rather than 1oo-point scores. This is the Bordeaux to which winemaker Jean Marc Barthez belongs. The archetypal “dirt-under-the-fingernails” winemaker, he serves as the president of a small co-operative winery in Monségur, an ancient village founded by Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 13th century. There, he oversees a handful of growers who cultivate small family vineyards and join forces to produce Bordeaux wines that their friends and neighbors can actually afford.
Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo
