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

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. 

Chateau Puygueraud, 2012

Price: $10-20
AOC: Francs - Côtes-de-Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Variety: 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec

Color: Dark ruby, a little deep violet
Aroma: pretty opened already right after opening, red fruit and vanilla, sense some alcohol, intensity is not particularly high
Palate: can taste firm red fruit and a little black fruit right after opening, however the sweetness faded pretty quickly, so do not decant this wine for too long (<30 mins), even just enjoy it from the pour without decanting is fine. Firm and clear acidity, some tobacco, some vanilla from oak and on the palate it somehow shows a buttery feeling which I am not a fan of, feel like this wine has too much oak in it, medium+ body,  little and fine tannin, and still can sense the alcohol, feel like 2012 is not a powerful vintage, the 14% alcohol and oak is too much for this wine. It needs more fruit and sweetness to balance the wine. Have tasted the 2009 vintage before which is much more enjoyable. 
Second day tasting: Half bottle of the wine was stored in the fridge with vacuvin pump, surprisingly on the second day, the wine becomes round and soft, the buttery mouth feeling is gone, tannin shows up and can taste red fruit from Merlot! There is even some fragrant(perfume) shows up in the aroma, starting to feel confused regarding how long to decant the wine.

Chateau Franc Couplet, 2010

Price: $10-20
AOC: Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux
Variety: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: Dark Ruby red to purple

Aroma: black currant, licorice, clear black fruit aroma, ripe red fruit aroma comes in after proper decanting, a touch of vanilla, fragrant! 

Palate: black fruit dominant, clear licorice, tobacco, very little mineral, adequate red fruit, well-balanced, firm tannin, a good example of Bordeaux blend, perfect for a wine under $15!     

Chateau La Gatte "La Butte", 2010 V.V

Price: $10-20
AOC: Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux
Variety: 100% Merlot

會注意到這支酒, 是因為它是 100% V.V 的 Merlot 所釀造, 這在以 Blend 為主的 Bordeaux 是很少見的, Cuvee "La Butte" 的葡萄田就在 Chateau La Gatte (歷史可追朔至1646) 的後方, 葡萄 Merlot 栽種於 1958 年, 樹齡已接近 60 年, 這支酒常在盲飲中被誤認為有級數的 Saint-Emilion 和 Pomerol, 價錢是平易近人的 $15, 光是這些, 就非買不可

馬上開瓶!

Aroma: 剛打開一倒出來, 我馬上了解為何這支酒在盲飲時常被誤認為 Saint-Emilion, 因為它的香氣幾乎做到了右岸二級酒莊 Magdelaine 06年 和 三級酒莊 Quinault L'Enclos 06年 的程度, Intense 的 Merlot 黑果實香水味和 licorice, a classic bordeaux Merlot aroma, 以五分之一的價錢就做到了.
Palate: 對於想了解究竟什麼是 Saint-Emilion 以 Merlot 為主的 Blend 的人來說是一個 perfect example, 我終於有機會可以釐清究竟在 bordeaux blend 中, 什麼味道是來自於 Merlot, 什麼味道來自於 Cab, 這支有明顯的 Merlot 黑果實甜味 (black cherry or plum, 和 Cab 的 black currant 不一樣), herbal and licorice, 豐富柔軟的單寧, medium+ body, bordeaux Merlot 獨有的 savory, 一樣用 $15就做到了, 實在是超便宜的價錢, 但比起 Cab, structure 少了一些, 少了一些壯麗感, 會讓酒有一點像小品的感覺, 了解了 Cab 的魅力所在, 這支並不 silky, 有時會喝到 very little mineral, 不算 earthy, 下一步就是找一支 100% 的 bordeaux Cab 了.