La Cave du Vin Issue 3 - What to Look for on a Bottle
- Deepest House -
The first two issues of La Cave du Vin introduced concepts such as appellations, Left Bank, and Right Bank, among others. This issue, we’ll take a closer look at the bottles themselves. After all, how are you supposed to pick a fine French wine off the shelf if you don’t know what anything on the label means? The old cliché says not to judge a book by its cover; however, a wine’s label gives a lot of information that is useful to the casual wine shopper. Let’s take a look at this week’s wine, Chateau Desclau, a Bordeaux Superieur from the now familiar 2010 vintage.
Starting at the top of the label, you’ll find Grand Vin de Bordeaux, which in this case means pretty much nothing. The top chateaux often produce second wines, under a different label. To let consumers know which their best is, the bottle is often labeled Grand Vin. However, in this case the words are merely a bottle decoration indicating that the wine does, indeed, come from Bordeaux. Below that is a drawing of the chateau.
Beneath the drawing is the name, Chateau Desclau. In bright red lettering, the label claims Chateau Discleau to be Bordeaux Superieur. Bordeaux Superieur is an appellation as well as a mark of quality, similar to Cru Bourgeois, but generally not as prestigious. Any wine originating from Bordeaux can label itself such; however to attach Superieur requires the producer to meet certain quality control conditions, one of which is aging of at least 12 months in oak barrels. Wines originating from appellations less prestigious than their Left Bank counterparts may wish to simply label their wines with Bordeaux Superieur if they qualify. Beneath the bright red lettering the bottle reads Appellation Bordeaux Superieur Controlee. This is the official appellation, and what you should look for when identifying from where your wine originates. If the wine had not qualified for Superieur status, it would’ve simply read Appellation Bordeaux Controlee, which could potentially originate from anywhere in the region.
The vintage, or year of production, is next on this label and is always important. Knowing the quality of recent vintages can make the difference between getting a good bottle of wine or a great bottle of wine. It also helps ensure you get the most for your money. For Bordeaux, 2010 was a historic vintage. Some experts consider 2009 even better, with 2005 also getting high marks. In the great vintages, the sun shines consistently, without too much rain, and without overheating the fruit, which results in optimal ripeness for the maximum number of grapes. Other vintages are fine and produced good wine, but 2010 truly shines and there is still plenty left on the market, so there’s no need to get anything else unless there’s a particular Chateau you’d like to try.
On this label, the final piece of useful information is the black line with gold lettering that reads Mis en Bouteille a la Propriete. On some bottles it may read Mis en Bouteille au Chateau. Mis en Bouteille a la Propriete means the wine was bottled where it was grown and produced, likely a property with multiple chateaux and a single bottling facility, all under one owner. Mis en Bouteille au Chateau means that the individual chateau has its own bottling facility. Either way, looking for the “Mis en Bouteille” means that your wine producer had total control of the wine from grape to bottle. Wines without this indicator are usually produced from grapes collected by a negociant, someone who buys grapes from farmers and then produces wine. These grapes could come from anywhere within the region, with their provenance and quality remaining unknown.
Knowing what to look for on a bottle of wine can greatly assist in getting the most for your money. For wines labeled Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur, further investigation can reveal the town or village from which your wine originates. For Chateau Desclaue, it’s Tresses, a small village to the east of Bordeaux city.
The next time you’re in a pinch to get a bottle of wine, remember some of these tips and you’ll be sure to walk out of the shop with the best bang for your buck.
The 2010 Chateau Desclau is dark, with a deep violet color, definitely a deeper hue than the last couple of wines featured. Spicy under the nose, the bouquet is incredibly balanced and smooth. The wine is light in the mouth, but at a strong 14.5%, the alcohol is present, although not in an obtrusive way. Not a lot of fruit flavor, it has a long and pleasant finish. Organic and natural notes round this wine out nicely. I’m a fan of earthen and oak flavors, and while the oak isn’t terribly strong, the dirt and leather present add nuance and an interesting touch to an otherwise simple, however delicious, wine.
At $13 at a local wine shop, this bottle deserved a try. Enjoyed with a plate of prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella, smoked gouda, and hickory smoked sausage, there’s nothing to complain about in this wine and plenty to like. Without fully researching this chateau, its softer and more approachable flavors than Bibian and Le Pey lead me to think Desclau is a merlot-based wine, without the massive ambitions and bold flavors that Cabernet-dominated wines often offer. I will definitely buy again at this price.
