It won’t be long now before white bucks and white wines replace snow mocs and hearty reds. Before we slip into those lazy, hazy days of summer, though, there’s still time to savor a few more of the full-bodied red wines that have served us so well during the long dark nights of winter.
Unfortunately, it’s too early to reap the ultimate rewards of Bordeaux’s extraordinary 2005 vintage, at least when it comes to the first growths and other tannic titans of the region (unless you’re looking to have your tongue exfoliated). But some of the vintage’s humbler reds, made with less regard for future grandeur and more for immediate appeal, are already approachable.
From Merlot grapes grown organically on its venerable estate in the Entre-deux-Mers district, Château Couronneau makes an affordable yet luscious Bordeaux Supérieur, brought to our shores and shelves by Minneapolis-based importer Grand Père Wines. With a richly perfumed nose and a velvety finish, it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
