Petit-Figeac, 2015

Price: $40-$50
AOC: Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
Varietal: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc 

Second wine of Chateau Figeac

Color: Dark Ruby, a little amber at rim
Aroma: Matured right bank! some perfume, focused sweet red fruit, a little flower   
Palate: concentrated red fruit, cedar wood, tobacco, a little perfume, very fine and a little astringent tannin adds structure and suggests the wine will improve if given more cellaring time. Proper acidity, savory, intoxicating and powerful, enjoyed it a lot but have opened the bottle too early!

      

E. GUIGAL, Cotes du Rhone, 2015

Price: $10-$20

AOC: Cotes du Rhone, Rhone

Varietal: 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre

Color: Ruby 

Aroma: round and full, joyful and manifest red fruit and berries, a little earthy note, a little spice, mineral and floral aroma    

Palate: medium-full body, juicy acidity, very little mineral, sweet red fruit, sense some alcohol, fine and little tannin, balanced, an incredible value
added: on the following day, there are more floral aroma and black pepper palate coming out

Duckhorn Three Palms Vineyard, 2010

Special thanks to Chunpi!

Price: $90-$100
AOC: Napa Valley, United States
Varietal: 82% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

Color: half violet and half orange at rim

Aroma: Penetrating, powerful, sweet and perfumed

Palate: medium body and tannin, slightly matured, tobacco, silky, sweet and concentrated fruit, a little perception of alcohol, very little spicy. Oaking added structure to the wine. A round, powerful yet enjoyable, sophisticated wine. Consider the price, I personally prefer regular Merlot label. 

Chateau La Vieille Cure, 2004

Price: $30-40

AOC: Fronsac, Bordeaux

Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Color: Opaque, dark purple, little orange at the rim

Aroma: It definitely needs time to aerate~Sweet! a "medium to full body" aroma, not an elegant, light bodied, and penetrating aroma like pinot, but a typical aroma from matured merlot. stewed red fruit jam, seductive, very good

Palate: 13 years of aging, flavor is concentrated and bold, matured, medium to full body, medium+, fine tannin (still shows some potential for cellaring for few more years, but totally fine to drink now) , tea leaf, earthy, sweet stewed red fruit dominant, a typical, matured right bank Bordeaux, irresistible for me, can't beat the value for the price. (needs time to aerate).  

Vina Real, Crianza, 2012

Price: $10-20

AOC: Crianza, Rioja, Spain

Variety: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, Mazuela y Graciano

Color: Ruby and orange hue

Aroma: medium intensity but has a penetrating red fruit aroma, good!

Palate: medium- body, clear ripe red fruit and juicy acidity, tannin is little, there is some perception of alcohol so sometimes taste very little bitterness, the best part of this wine is the sweet vanilla oak which combines very well with the light body and acidity and makes the wine balanced. A good quality crianza.