Two of the best red wines I have had were Bordeaux; both from the 2000 vintage, and not very expensive. (The Thunevin Clos Badon and the Chateau Fontenil, if you are curious). Another favorite of mine is the Chateau La Vieille Cure from Fronsac. It is a Merlot/Cab Franc/Cabernet blend.

Today I tried the 2004 and it was great. It is rare that I am really surprised or excited by the smell of a wine, but at first whiff, it was a “wow” wine. I can only imagine how incredible this wine must be in a really great vintage like 2000. (This really made me itch to grab one of the 2000s from my cellar. One of the, uh, two I have.)

After being open for a few hours, this Fronsac shows lovely rich fruit. It is one of those wines that keeps changing and evolving throughout the course of a day, if you can resist it for that long.

I also can’t take my eyes off the label; I love the cross and the font.