A Proper Claret - And A Phonics Lesson

The Wine Curmudgeon has a great piece on The Downton Abbey Claret.  What it's really about is the prevalence of deception in wine marketing and how stupid the industry thinks consumers are.  Are they wrong?  That's a topic for another day.

In the meantime, here's a proper claret with no marketing hype that more than delivers.  It was the second of two wines opened to celebrate our daughter's the birthday (and year) - the second because the first one was, to put it mildly, a brutish hammer.

The 2009 Chateau Jouanin ($15) was on The Top Wines of 2013 list for good reason, as I was reminded last night.  Medium-bodied and with pretty fruit, it's got a spring in its step thanks to lacy acids.  What's more is that this wine has improved over the course of the year.  Will the 2010 be equally good or better?  Don't know, but do intend to find out.

If your palate has grown accustomed to the taste bud-commandeering "international" style, a change of pace may be just what the doctor ordered.  And a good value Bordeaux is the medicine you need.  Many of these unclassified Bordeaux are made in smaller quantities and have limited distribution, so don't be afraid to experiment if you can't find exactly

PS - For the curious among us, claret is an English word, not French, and, as such, is pronounced just the way it reads phonically, not "cla-RAY". Just listen to how Mr. Carson says it.