Attributes:

Chateau Matras

Saint Emilion Grand Cru, France

Bordeaux - Red

750 ML

Food Matches:

Romans planted vineyards in Saint-Emilion as early as the second century. It is located right bank of the Gironde and named after the monk Emilion. The "Saint Emilion Grand Cru" label on a wine explains that the wine is from any one of the many vineyards on the list of vineyards that qualify as Saint Emilion Grand Cru.

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Saint Cosme

Cote du Rhone, France

Rhone Blend - Red

750 ML

2006: WineAdvocate Rating: 87

complex, deep

blackberry

fruity

Food Matches:

Rhone Valley takes its name from the Rhone River which flows from the Swiss Alps, through the valley dividing the Northern and Southern Rhone, and then ending at the Mediterranean Sea just west of Marseille. Inside the Rhone River Valley to the south are the Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages. 77 % of all Rhone wines are Cotes du Rhone or Cotes du Rhone Villages and wines bearing this label only come ONLY from the Southern Rhone. "Cotes du Rhone" is an appellation with which a bottle will be labeled where as "Cotes du Rhone Villages" is a title given to a village within that appellation. Of the ninety six villages entitled "Cotes du Rhone Villages" there are sixteen considered superior, and because of this they are allowed to append their name. (Example.) Cotes du Rhone Villages Superior Cairanne) The climate is hot and dry, and the soil is less dirt than it is clay, gravel, or stone. Unlike the North, this region relies on blends and is very seldom making single variety wines. Cotes du Rhone makes red, white and rose wine from the grapes of Grenache, Mourverde, Syrah, Cinsaut, Carignan, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Rousanne and Viogner, with the top wines being red.

Attributes:

Barton & Guestier

Bordeaux, France

Sauvignon Blanc

750 ML

1988: WineSpectator Rating: 78

straightforward

Food Matches:

A region in western France that grows famous red wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes and white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle grapes. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux has a maritime climate with warm summers and fairly mild winters as well as an abundance of rain during harvest time. When young, the finest red Bordeaux wines have a deep cranberry hue and aromas of blackcurrants, plums, spice, cedar, and cassis. For the first ten years or so these wines can be very dry, with tannin masking the fruity flavors. Eventually the wines turn garnet, and develops an extraordinarily complex bouquet and flavor as well as softer tannins. The finest red Bordeaux wines still take 20 years or so before reaching their maturity. Two distinct red wine production zones exist within the Bordeaux region; the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The Left Bank vineyards are located west of the Garonne River and the Gironde Estuary, into which the Garonne empties. The Right Bank vineyards are east and north of the Dordogne River and east of the Grionde Estuary. Of the various wine districts on the Left and Right Banks, four are the most important for red wines: Haut-Médoc; Pessac-Leognan, St-Emilion, and Pomerol. For white wines, the most important are Graves and Pessac-Leognan.

Comes mostly from California, France, New Zealand, and South Africa. Its highly acidic wines are often suggestive of herbs or grass. Light to medium bodied and usually dry, European versions are generally not oaky while California Sauvignon Blanc can take on many of the qualities of Chardonnay. France has two classic wine regions for the Sauvignon Blanc gape: Bordeaux and the Loire Valley The Bordeaux wine is called Bordeaux Blanc and the two best known of the Loire wines are called Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes blended with Sémillon.