Red Wine > Red Wine (French-Bordeaux)

Advantages: Elegant, strong, keeps getting better
Disadvantages: None

...time I was at the Chateau (I make regular pilgrimages across France looking for good wines -- fewer now, admittedly, being in seminary and having lost much of my income!) was in 1996; the 1993 wines were just beginning to become worthy of sampling, and during a dinner at the estate (something I've been fortunate enough to be invited to several times; but then, working in the British Parliament afforded one certain perks) we were treated to some of ...
...so to end up at Chateau Margaux. This is near the west coast of France, which gives the whole area an Atlantic-influenced weather -- an area of Bordeaux known as the Médoc, whose wines have become world famous only in the past 150 years or so (a brief period for French wines) -- this was in the past a dangerous and unprotected place, wild and untamed, and I would swear that some of this rustic adventurousness carries through the vines to the grapes ... Read review

Advantages: Drinkable.
Disadvantages: Dull.

...but the wine remains fine. From what I gather you can buy the Château Tassin red for about 5 odd euros a pop. Good to drink with dinner and otherwise. It is also good to add to sauces and the like. Otherwise theres not much to write home about. ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, cheerful and fruity.
Disadvantages: Uninspiring label.

In my opinion most of the triumphs in the wine world are French; however I have also been of the opinion for a long time that there isn't much worth drinking from France that costs less than a tenner let alone less than a fiver. This wine costs barely half that at £2.54. I approached this wine with some trepidation, expecting the sort of plonk I often encountered in the past on a limited budget. Claret is a term long used by the English wine trade ...
...different appellations with widely differing characteristics. There is little information on this bottle and the grapes used are not named. I was unable to distinguish any particular grape characteristics in the taste. What does it taste like? Smells fairly neutral, first impression was of a light, quite fruity wine. It is a little thin in comparison with many contemporary wines, and is only 12% alcohol [many wines are13-14%]. This is no bad thing, ... Read review

Advantages: A stunning wine
Disadvantages: -

...Chateau Latour are in the Pauillac commune (the home of several of the premiers and seconds, and hosts of other superb wineries). This is to the north of St. Julien, some distance north of Margaux, in the Médoc district of Bordeaux. Visiting the vineyard and Chateau are definitely in order if going this way -- as my French wine trips always conclude at Chateau Margaux, this makes a pleasant stop along the way. (The actual chateau is less impressive ...
...has the tower for which Latour is named.) Chateau Latour is notoriously slow to develop, perhaps due to the slow growth of the grapes in the rocky, relatively infertile soil of the vineyard. Famous for being a great wine even in an off year, I never worry so much about the vintage of Latour, and always am sure to have at least one bottle among the wines in my collection (the current holdings are 1992 and 1993, just coming into drinking range, by ... Read review

Advantages: very good
Disadvantages: none

Pauillac is a very nice small town located on the Garonna mouth in the Gironde region of France. Pauillac is famous for the wine the bears its name. Pauillac is a very famous name among the Medoc wines that are produced in the Bordeaux area. Château Latour, Château Lafite-Rothschild et Château Mouton Rothschild are the names of the three “cru” of Pauillac-Medoc. The two most important grapes used to make this wine are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. ...
...the wine a rich body without to much alcohol and furthermore makes the harmony between “bouquet” and body. The Merlot grape, added in percentage of 20%, confers to the wine the “roundness” that is one of the peculiarities of Pauillac. Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%) are the other grapes. The four grapes are destemmed prior the fermentation (to reduce the level of acidity) and put in separated thanks. When the fermentation is terminated ... Read review