Chateau Greysac
Wine: Chateau Greysac.
Grapes: Cabernet sauvignon (60 percent), merlot (30 percent), cabernet franc (10 percent)
Region: Medoc, Bordeaux, France
Vintage: 2003
Price: $19.99
In the glass: Chateau Greysac is a deeply opaque blackish-red with dark streaks of ruby color going out into a dark purplish-red rim definition with high viscosity.
On the nose: There are pure concentrated black currant fruits with crushed extracted brambleberries, creme de cassis, blackberry compote and sorbet, oak references, mocha notes, coffee grounds and vanilla beans.
On the palate: The wine shows highly extracted black fruits with dominance by concentrated blackberries, then spice components, black cherry wine, bitter chocolate, vanilla, oak components and mineral-like mocha. Although it is at its peak, it retains a powerful appearance as a wine with great full-bodied structure. It also is marked through the midpalate and into the classic bordeaux finish that lingers with complex mouth-feel through the end.
Odds and ends: Chateau Greysac is on gravelly soil, which makes for superb grape cultivation, and the results are telling in this wine from the highly acclaimed 2003 vintage. While not a bargain, it is not a bank-buster either. And it represents great value from Bordeaux, taking into account the immense campaign of greed waged by the properties there recently with the 2009 vintage. Snap this up while you can, because soon there may not be much bordeaux available for less than $50. Open this wine one hour before consumption and try it with a medium-rare grilled filet mignon, while celebrating Bastille Day today (French National Day). Vive La France.
Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.
