wine samples

I certainly think so! Several weeks back I received an email from the PR firm working on the Life Goes Better with Bordeaux campaign. My first thought, obviously, was what a fun job! My second, yes I would love to sample Bordeaux wine as a part of the campaign.

The samples arrived the day before my marathon travels in January began, and I have not had time to sit down a properly taste/review the wine until now. I have been greatly looking forward to it though!

In addition to a bottle of champagne which I have not yet tasted, I was sent a red Bordeaux from Chateau Larose-Trintaudon from Medoc, France. The 2004 blend was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot and had a deep purpley color in the glass and on my teeth 🙂 Perhaps the only downside of my penchant for red wine?

We used the new aerator that I received as a Christmas gift to aerate our glasses of wine and then let them breathe for about 20 minutes before taking a sip. The nose on the wine definitely included hints of tobacco and ripe raspberries. The mouth feel of this wine was like silk, very round and smooth with a nice, long finish, and lingering hints of those berries again. I have to say that I have not tasted many wines from Bordeaux, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this wine. It was very soft, for lack of another term, and lacked any sharp alcoholic or acidic flavor which was very nice. The label noted that it was aged in 100% French oak which made me worry at first that it would have an oakiness to it which this wine did not have at all.  We drank it with a very creamy brie, and the cheese brought the fruit out of it very nicely. I would drink this with cheese again.

The Life Goes Better with Bordeaux campaign’s website is very interesting and helpful for newbies like me who want to learn about wine and wine regions. They also offer information on food and wine pairings and wines in different price ranges. My absolute favorite part of the site, besides the history of Bordeaux was the “Find your Bordeaux Match” section. You can choose a wine that you are familiar with, like a Napa Cabernet, and they suggest a Bordeaux wine that you might like. This is such a helpful tool, and I know that I will be using it again so that I can discover Bordeaux wines with flavor profiles that might be similar to other wines that I enjoy.

Many, many thanks to the Life Goes Better with Bordeaux for the samples and for opening my eyes to a region I have yet to explore. One I pop open the bubbly, I will be writing about that as well. Until then, enjoy the Life Goes Better with Bordeaux website!

Please don’t forget about my raffle to raise money for The ALLY Foundation! Each entry is a $10 donation on my fundraising page: http://www.firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally. The prize is a $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma! The ALLY Foundation is doing incredible work protecting us from violent sex offenders, and I am proud to be running the 2010 Boston Marathon for them. Anything that you can donate will help!