Saturday, March 05, 2005

Quick Swirl: Chateau Bonnet 2002 (PB)

This Entre Deux Mers (pronounced, ahntray-do-mare) is a blend of Sauvignon blanc, Semillion and a touch of Muscadelle. It is the same wine I sort of reviewed on my Valentine’s date with my bride. But a restaurant is rarely conducive to a solid review. So here goes again;
It is a pale yellow in the glass with yeasty and *musty odors—“DANGER,DANGER Wil Robinson; enemy TCA approaching???” Beneath the mustiness is a hint of oranges and citrus. In the mouth it is a little flabby but with some nice citrusy flavors and some peach notes. The finish is short.

I paired it with citrus and garlic stuffed Cornish game hens with a raspberry glaze and sides of homemade lemon pasta with a leek and lemon sauce. The pairing was quite nice and despite the mustiness, the bottle was consumed…

*This wine was definitely NOT musty when I had it at the restaurant which is one reason I always review every wine I have no matter how many times I have it. It’s the best way to really track a wine’s maturity or demise and real character.

*This mustiness “might” be the dreaded TCA which stands for trichloranisole, a chemical that appears either as a contaminant in the wine making process or due to a faulty cork. It is the scoundrel behind the raging cork vs. screw cap debate which I will blog at a later date.

Had I not had this wine before, I wouldn’t have really known if this was just part of it’s character or is indeed a fault. It was not sufficient to make the wine undrinkable but it certainly detracted from its freshness. This was a “Food and Wine” magazine’s Pick a couple issues back. At $10, it’s an “okay wine” (without the taint that is).

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