Telish Cuvee ‘T’ a great buy

I happened upon Telish Cuvee 'T' Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot a couple of years ago and immediately recognized its potential. It has not disappointed.

The company has stepped it up a big notch in hiring the world's most sought-after wine consultant, Michel Rolland, who is the master blender behind this cuvee "T," his first vintage there.

It now appears as one of the truly inspiring international blended wines that he is famous for, and it is a great buy for less than $5. Telish Cuvee 'T' Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot has no peers in terms of quality in this price bracket. Make this your everyday drinking wine for the new year.

In the glass, Telish Cuvee 'T' is a firm, deep semi-opaque ruby-red color with a dark crimson core going out into a light red to pinkish rim definition and medium-high viscosity.

On the nose, the wine exudes classical elements of cabernet sauvignon and merlot with concentrated soft extract of black and red berries, dominated by brambleberry, raspberry sorbet and creamy blueberry from the merlot and just pure fruits of the forest, cassis and mint leaf with neutral oak influences from the cabernet.

On the palate, the wine is soft and rounded with slightly spicy berry fruit, sloe fruit juice, elderberry, mulberry and hints of fruit-driven minerals. The midpalate is firm and softly tannic, going into a good balanced finish that displays yet more black fruit and herbs de Provence.

It is an excellent medium-bodied wine to be enjoyed with food, especially grilled lamb or veal chops. While it drinks well right out of the bottle, letting it sit for about 30 minutes before consumption will open up the wine and show its full potential.

Considering the top vintage that this wine is made from, it should age for about four to five years, but can be consumed during the entirety of this period with great pleasure.

Wine: Telish Cuvee 'T' Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot

Grapes: Cabernet sauvignon (50 percent), merlot (50 percent)

Region: Thracian Highlands, Bulgaria

Vintage: 2005

Price: $ 4.99

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.