Man I hate the French

2005 Chateau Candeley Bordeaux

Actually I love the French. When I first started tasting and drinking wines back in 1996. I got to taste a lot of French Bordeaux. I have sampled some of the very best. The French have a way of incorporating the land into there wines. Terroir was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon them.
That's the definition and that is sooooooooo true!

Yes California has developed there own Terroir, but with France hundreds of years ahead of the game it makes me wonder if we will ever catch up. French wines to me just pair so well with the cuisine and the cheeses. They make you feel like when you are taking a bite of that Lamb and taking a sip, The stars align.

We all know how expensive 1st growth Bordeaux can be like Lafite or Latour. They are pretty much out of anybodies league. With 2005 being one of the greatest years for French wine production. There is always gonna be very attainable wines out there. 2005 Chateau Candeley Bordeaux is a great example of Solid, Good French Wine and at $17.99 per bottle a really good deal. The wine is almost an even blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Cab Franc. Out of the glass come all of those familiar aromas of wood, earth, hints of smoke and herbs like Thyme and peppercorns. On the palate are even amounts of tannins, fruit, dirt and rocks. Dirt and rocks you say??? Well it wouldn't be a French wine if it didn't taste like the motherland. That is what Terroir is all about. This wine is still very young. I shared the bottle with several people but I would of loved to of gotten a chance to try it 24hrs later with a big fat piece of steak or lamb. French wines especially young ones open up very slowly. The other problem I had was that this bottle was the last bottle on the shelf. Oh well, my loss for not buying up more 2005.

So don't be afraid ladies and gents to pick up a bottle of French wine. Yes we want to support our nations own product, but even the best winemakers from California and the rest of the world owe a debt to this nation.

Cheers!