Baron des Chartrons Bordeaux

Wine: Baron des Chartrons Bordeaux.

Grapes: Merlot (60percent), cabernet sauvignon (40 percent)

Region: Bordeaux, France

Vintage: 2009

Price: $9.99

Availability: Lee's Discount Liquors

In the glass: Baron des Chartrons wine is a deeply opaque ruby-red color with a dense core going out into a firm light-red to pinkish rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: There are freshly crushed red berry fruits with a minty fresh component, hints of gaminess, concentrated cassis fruit juice, balsa wood and underlying notes of cherries jubilee and violets.

On the palate: There is good extract of red fruits dominated by red cherries, Mirabelle plum skins, spice components, then some good fruit-driven mineral notes and vague traces of wood; altogether, it is a pure fruit-driven wine. The midpalate has great richness from the vintage character of the wine with yet more red fruits going into a solid finish that lingers with great balance among the fruit, acidity and the tannins. This is a fine, full-bodied effort made from classically proportioned grape varietals.

Odds and ends: One of the greatest vintages of all time is the already legendary 2009 vintage in Bordeaux. This is one of the few wines from this remarkable region that I have been able to find to review at an attractive price. When the 2009's from Bordeaux were released, they were on average the most expensive wines from any region in the world. So finding a great value such as this Baron des Chartrons is rare, but highly rewarding. Though this is a classic blend of the two most widely planted grape varieties in Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, it is more than a mere table wine. Pretty much everything produced in this region in 2009 holds up to serious scrutiny. I cannot stress enough how nicely these wines show now and how they'll continue to do so for decades to come, especially at the top Chateau level. This one is a match made in heaven for a hearty goulash with rice. Drink it now through 2017.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.