I often write about wine we drink with our neighbors. Baron and Travis regularly come by for wine and our favorite television shows, while Larry and Jen are quick to join us for games. Todd and Michelle had us over for a wonderful brunch last week. There are others, of course, who stop by from time to time, people we enjoy spending time with and getting to know. They bring a lot to our lives, and they ultimately become what we love most about our neighborhood. We value our neighbors a great deal.

Chateau Chantecler, in Bordeaux’s Left Bank region known as Pauillac, is similarly blessed. Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, and Chateau Pontet-Canet form a triangle around a single hectacre of Pauillac that is home to Chateau Chantecler.  These exceptionally well-known and high-priced neighbors have done much to establish the credibility of the terroir in this area, but fortunately for the consumer, little to influence the price. While Mouton and Lafite easily run in the $2K range, this bottle of Chantecler was a comparatively modest $100, and exhibited all of the qualities I love in a great Bordeaux.  Driven by dry red fruits, this age-worthy beauty is still very new to the world, though the leather notes and complex cedar, herbs, and other flavors are on their way. Beautiful now, it will be even more exciting in the years to come.

I swung by my favorite wine bar today just hoping for a glass of something simple to start off the weekend, but I ran smack dab into this and never looked back. A terrific find, though I no longer use a numbers rating system, I am comfortable saying that if you like wine, you need to try this one. Highly recommended. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Cheers,

Mark