2010 Clos Maragnac – $27.95 – Vintages 11655 – ****
This isn’t so much a tasting note as what I did when I opened this wine. I prepared a sashimi bowl for dinner – with the intention of drinking this wine that particular evening. I have said on my podcast that wine and food pairings are kind of BS – For the most part I firmly believe that. Now that being said – while most food, and most wine can co-exist – and those incredible pairings are few and far between – Aged Bordeaux with raw fish, and high acid seasoning DO NOT go together. What happened is the acid from the dressing and the wine cancelled each other out. There was a bitter note that just killed the wine – and the flavours from the sashimi bowl overpowered everything.
What I ended up doing was saving the wine for dessert – and I’m glad I did. A couple hours in a decanter unleashed a bouquet of violet, with blueberry, and plum. The fruit has very nice intensity and concentration (even though raw fish and citrus overpowered it). The texture on the palate opened up from cheek to cheek. I love Bordeaux like this – it’s not terribly fussy, and even with a bit of decanting this became a prima ballerina that commands attention and delivers elegance. I am grabbing my next bottle to enjoy for dessert with my next meal. While I’m sure there is a perfect food pairing for this wine I enjoyed sipping this one sans food.
