“Should we open up a bottle?”
It’s a simple question.
The answer should be simple…
but it never is.
“What should we open?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do we have?”
“We’ve got plenty of wine, but it’s Thursday. I’m not gonna open up anything good.”
And it goes ’round and ’round and ’round…
As I dug into the wine fridge, I found this…
Chateau Du Seguinier 2005 Premieres Cotes de Blaye, Bordeaux
I don’t recall where I bought this wine… Probably Trader Joe’s.
I don’t remember how much I paid… Most places on the internet show that it is less than 10 bucks.
I do know that I purchased this wine at a time when I knew a lot less about wine than I do today… Considering that I’m still learning, I know that I didn’t know much at all… You know?
At the time, what I knew about Bordeaux was that 2005 was an AMAZING year… “A 2005 for less than ten bucks???!!!???!!!! I’m keeping this one!” I thought.
On Thursday, when I spotted the Chateau Du Seguinier 2005 Bordeaux, I was all, “Why not?”
Cotes de Blaye is a lesser-known appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is technically a left bank wine… but WAY North. Their red wines are primarily Merlot based. They are known for being dry.
Here’s how it went down…
If you wanna see the color, hold that sucka in front of a fridge foo!
Color: The Chateau Du Seguinier is a dark brick-red.
Nose: Really good! Cranberry and blueberry fruit with a touch of pencil shavings. I ain’t gonna lie… It smells delicious.
Taste: I know that this wine is supposed to be dry, but the Chateau Du Seguinier is HELLA DRY. Very tart. The tannins are very harsh and bitter. It’s got a little cabbage and dried tomato skins on the finish.
Score: I initially gave this wine an 84+, but as I let it sit for about a half-hour the tannins started to mellow out. With a little decanting, it shows more like an 86+. It comes of as a decent table wine (not a term that is often associated with Bordeaux). It would go really good with spaghetti. In fact…
A BIG plate of Spaghetti with a HUGE Fork.
While tasting this wine, I become obsessed with spaghetti…
So I hooked myself up.
For the sauce, I sweated some onions in olive oil. Then I deglazed the pan with a splash of the Chateau Du Seguinier (Why not?). After the wine steamed off, I threw in a can of diced tomatoes, salt n’ peppa, and some cumin and dried oregano.
When the pasta was ready, I tossed in the sauce, along with some freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and some basil.
The spaghetti paired nicely with the Chateau Du Seguinier. It brought out some nice fruit notes in the wine. Cranberry and raspberry for days. It was all good.
So my take on “value” Bordeaux is simple. They are meant to drink young. They are meant to have with food. If you spent less than 20 bucks for it, don’t hesitate…
Just pop that bottle, baby.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Tags: bordeaux, Chateau Du Seguinier 2005, Cotes de Blaye, JeffIsRad, Spaghetti, Stay Rad, Thursday, Value
Stay Rad 
August 27, 2011 at 12:37 pm |
I’m always worried to buy a cheap bottle of Bordeaux. My thought process is that I’m not getting value compared to a Portuguese red or something in the same price range. Maybe ill try sometime soon
August 27, 2011 at 3:58 pm |
I feel you Jonny!
It does seem like there’s a lot more “value” for Bordeaux in the 20 – 50 dollar range. Tons of St. Emilion Grand Crus at that price point.
I think it’s time to pull the trigger.
Then again, I ain’t poppin’ one of those open on a Thursday.
You dig?
– Jeff
May 23, 2013 at 9:47 pm |
Today is Thursday and i tried the same wine. I did not find the tannins so harsh. I had it with a steak – it was a wonderful pairing. The other night I was in the Napa Valley and tasted a wine that sold for $125-. I would rather drink the Ch. Du Seguiner than the “over the top fruit bomb” from Napa that came in at over 15% alcohol. This Bordeaux is far superior at one 10th the price!