Wine of the Week! 02/26/24

Château Moulinat Bordeaux

Normally $19.99 / Now on Sale for $14.96
58% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc (Entre-Deux-Mers AOC)

The Bordeaux wine region sits in the southeast corner of France, taking its name from the city. Just off of the Atlantic coast, it is a region defined by rivers.

In its southern part, the Bordeaux region is forked by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. (Bordeaux, the city, sits on the Garonne, while Libourne sits to the northeast on the Dordogne.) Above their major cities, the two rivers join, feeding into the Gironde estuary that runs northwest and, of course, empties out into the Atlantic. The Bordeaux wine region covers the whole area surrounding both rivers and the estuary, and people traditionally identify sub-regions by which side of their river they sit. However, what about the land in the middle … ?

Most of the land between the Garonne and the Dordogne is a Bordeaux sub-region known as Entre-Deux-Mers (“Between Two Seas,” figuratively speaking). Going back to those vine planting fools, the Romans, Entre-Deux-Mers is one of the oldest wine-producing areas in France. After finding prominence first in the Middle Ages, the region really took off in the 18th Century. Green and forested, Entre-Deux-Mers has various soil types producing varied grapes for different styles of wine. Their dry whites are mostly blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, while their red wines combine Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, (and sometimes Malbec), most often dominated by Merlot.

Château Moulinat’s Entre-Deux-Mers’ Bordeaux red is just over half Merlot, just over a third Cabernet Sauvignon, with a little bit of Cabernet Franc for the rest. It’s medium-bodied with a deeply lively damson plum flavor teased by hints of raspberry leaf and winter forest twig from its spicy tannins. It’s a relatively clean expression of the fruit from the wine having been both fermented and aged in steel. Still, we get moments of oak and wonder if they let it touch wood somewhere along the line.

This red is a great introduction to Bordeaux for the uninitiated and a pocketbook friendly way to get your Bordeaux fix for fans.