Just The Tip Of The Ice-“Bourg”

As the snowbirds from Canada come to South Florida and even locals are in constant search of a “Value Wine” with a less sugary taste than American Wines these days, I still want to stress that there is value in Bordeaux, White and Red. One of these value driven areas is located on the Right Bank of the Gironde River called the Cotes De Bourg. 

Great Soil, Great Sun Exposure, Great Wines

Côtes de Bourg is an (AOC or Controlled Appellation ) for Bordeaux Wine situated near the actual town of Bordeaux , France  The first vineyards in the area were founded by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, Bourg was a major port for wine and the vineyards developed at the same tempo as the land . The Côtes de Bourg appellation, in the north of the patchwork of Bordeaux wines, took its first steps on the east bank of the Gironde. At the time, the inhabitants of Bourg were fishermen, sailors or winemakers and the latter benefited from the perfect combination of a commercially minded town and a soil made for vineyards. 

The Winery 

Nelly and Ludovic Neveu, with the help of their sons have been exploring the vineyards of Château Côtes de Bellevue since 1987. A few acquisitions over the years and we have land that equals a very small  12,5 hectares growing mostly Merlot (Like All Right Bank Bordeaux), Cabernet Sauvignon and surprisingly this producer and some others in the appellation, growing some Malbec to add to their blends. 

The Wine Review

This is a brand new Direct To You Bordeaux at ABC Fine Wine in Florida but can be found floating around some sites on the internet. This is a ridiculously low price for this type of quality at $10.99 per bottle. The mix is 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec and the 2014 Vintage with an Alcohol Level of 13%. I had to whip out my Julianna Bordeaux Glasses (Do seek these out from Anna at @Julianna_Glass on Twitter, Instagram…I am not a paid endorser, I just love the glassware) 

As you can see dark ruby red with purple hues on the color. This is one of those wines that is talking back to you and begging ” LET ME BREATHE” I didn’t start to really breakdown the wine until 2-3 hours when this young wine opened up but it started showing it’s terroir driven character by day 2. If you like “DRY” Red Wines and you mean it.. this is textbook “BONE DRY”. When it opens you do pick up strong black currant, earthy clay, hints of vanilla spice  and smoke coming from the New Oak and a little Bordeaux Funk. Nice texture of medium bodied, tart blackberry and plums, lots of Lead Pencil and not just any Pencil but this brings me back to my childhood of licking the point of a Number 2 Pencil. Medium acidity with a taut but pleasant tannic grip and black pepper spicy finish. This had solid structure, well managed fruits and the terroir spoke to me as opposed to manipulated wines in the cellar from some wineries in America and the New World. I would rate this wine an 86/100 points

Summary And Food Pairing

This has to be one of the best Wine and Cheese Pairings I have done on this blog. Easy to find Iberico Cheese from Spain, which uses 3 milks, Cow, Sheep and Goat at room temperature just paired together like Donny And Marie Osmond with this wine. The sweetness of Sheep/s milk, the tartness of Goat’s Milk all blended well with the tart blackberry and juicy wine. I also had it the next day with a grilled Turkey Burger with a baked sweet potato and broccoli. Nothing Gordon Ramsay but that is everyday people food and this is an everyday people wine. Remember if you are drinking the sugary blends out there and don’t like Dry Red Wines (although they would be healthier if you did) this wine is not for you. I will proudly recommend you buy this by the case at $10.99 cause I can’t imagine this going wrong at any dinner table with just about any meal besides delicate fish like Seabass, Scallops etc but Salmon and Tuna would handle this just fine. And this is just the Tip of the ICE-“BOURG”

Grape-fully yours, Larry