Chateau Ballan-Larquette Bordeaux
Posted by Wine Welfare | Filed under $18-$20, Bordeaux, France, Red
I Think They Forgot the Grapes
NOTE: We decanted this for about an hour before tasting.
COLOR: Deep musty red. Looks lighter than most Bordeauxs.
NOSE: Even with decanting, this is a tight nose. You can pick up some cherry and a bit of wet earth, but that’s it.
TASTE: A little flat upon intake. No explosion of anything here, which is expected for Old World wines like Bordeaux, but come on, Ballan-Larquette. This should taste like something fruit-related. I mean, we’ve got the dirt again, some good tannins, but nothing else. No real structure. The finish would be good, if there were something to finish. I guess I’ll admit that there were some faint cherry flavors, but nothing I could describe as delicious. To manipulate one of my favorite phrases from the 80s: “Where’s the fruit??”
WITH FOOD: Well, based on the lack of fruit, how about a nice bowl of steam? Perhaps leaving it out and enjoying it with a steak would wake things up.
WHERE TO BUY: $19.99 at Bevmo, though you may find it cheaper in local shops.
Check out our other Bordeaux wine reviews! (There’s really only one)
Remember to subscribe to get all the latest reviews from Wine Welfare!
We keep things simple:
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
Technorati
RSS
April 9, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Sorry you did not get the expected pleasure from Ch Ballan-Larquette.
You were right decanting it.
Suggested service temperature : 16-18°C.
Yes, pairing with a steak is a good idea.
No, we did not forget the grapes…
We try to get the best from them.
I hope your next Bordeaux experience will be more satisfactory.
Best regards,
Régis Chaigne
Ps : hopefully, I found at least a consumer in CA appreciating Ch Ballan-Larquette :
http://colintalcroft.blogspot.com/2010/04/wines-im-drinking-2007-chateau-ballan.html
June 3, 2010 at 5:29 am
Thanks to your interest in Ch Ballan-Larquette, it was a pleasure to share a dinner with Angela & you in LA !
Blogging, social networking led up to a nice meeting in the real life : magic !
Enjoy Bordeaux !
Regis
November 22, 2010 at 8:43 am
[...] this year we reviewed the Chateau Ballan-Larquette Bordeaux, and while it wasn’t quite my cup of tea, I still say you cannot beat this house for sheer [...]