2010 Chteau Bonnet, Entre Deux-Mers Wine of the Week

Wine of the Week: 2010 Chteau Bonnet, Entre Deux-Mers Blanc
Region & Country: Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France
Price: $12

For years Chteau Bonnet has been on my go-to list of best value Bordeaux wines.

White and unoaked this Bordeaux blend is a delicious, refreshing wine, bursting with bright fruit flavors. It is a great all-year house wine, fit to serve at any gathering large or small.

As I mentioned Chteau Bonnet has long been a favorite of mine. In the context of great Bordeaux, it is not your 'grand vin' with long cellaring or investment potential. But it is consistently of excellent quality for everyday drinking. I last tasted it a few weeks ago when I poured it for a wine tasting class. As ever it showed well, and the students who tasted it blind pegged it far above its attractive $12 price tag.

What struck me about the wine (again) was how balanced and flavorful the wine was. The flavors (citrus, stone-fruit, red apple with a very appealing floral and waxy note) are quite concentrated and lingering, especially on the mid-to-back palate with a noticeable mineral kick. There is breadth and depth to the flavors that keeps your interest. By no means a very complex wine, but one you want to drink and maybe even have a second glass!

At the table - A versatile wine, the lively fruitiness makes it appealing on its own or to sip as an apritif with salty nibbles, while the mid-palate weight and creaminess, the vibrant acidity and mineral kick make it a great partner at the table with a range of dishes such as herbed and stuffed roast chicken, scampi with tartare sauce or endive au gratin (endive wrapped in ham with cheese sauce).

About Chteau Bonnet and the Entre Deux-Mers
Chteau Bonnet is an unoaked white Bordeaux blend, comprised of 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon and 10% Muscadelle. Malolactic fermentation was suppressed to retain the lively acidity. Fermented in stainless steel tank, the wine spent about 4 months on the lees post fermentation before bottling.

The Chteau Bonnet property and vineyards are located in the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC designated area of Bordeaux. The Chateau dates back to the 17th century. Today the well-known Bordeaux wine family - Andr Lurton, owns it.

The Entre-Deux Mers, which translates as 'between the two seas' is so called because it is situated between the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers. Entre-Deux-Mers is a designation wine area for white wine only, and is the largest wine sub-area within the overall Bordeaux region.

Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW (Master of Wine), is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant.

Previous Wine of the Week: Bouvet-Ladubay Brut Ros NV

(Image: via Snooth)

---

2010 Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc - Wine Reviews & Prices ... 2010 Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc. Producer: Chateau Bonnet Style: White Wine Grape Type: Bordeaux Blend Origin: France Region: Bordeaux Chateau Bonnet Tour de Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc - Wine Reviews ... Chateau Bonnet Tour de Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc. Producer: Chateau Bonnet Style: White Wine Grape Type: other white varietal Origin: France Region: Bordeaux Wine of the Week: Chteau Les Arromans Entre-Deux-Mers 2010 ... Wine of the Week: Chteau Les Arromans Entre-Deux-Mers 2010 August 3rd, 2011. Another wonderful white for summer. Crisp , clean and very refreshing. 2010 Chateau Bonnet Blanc Entre-Deux-Mers by Andr Lurton ... 4 ratings and reviews, 12 price listings, and food pairings for this Entre-Deux-Mers Sauvignon Blanc^semillon by Andr Lurton - Chateau Bonnet Blanc Entre-Deux-Mers ... 2010 Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers by Andr Lurton (Bordeaux ... Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers (2010) ratings and reviews, winery notes, wine tasting notes and food pairings for this Entre-Deux-Mers Bordeaux Blend by Andr Lurton The Reverse Wine Snob: Chteau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers White 2010 ... Chteau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers White 2010 - Better and Better With Every Sip Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc 2010 Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc 2010 from France - Bordeaux - Sauvignon Blanc 50%, Smillon 40%, Muscadelle 10%. The wine is brilliant and luminous to the eye ... Chateau Bonnet 2010 EntreDeuxMers Blanc Bordeaux Blend White Wine ... Chateau Bonnet Blanc Entre Deux Mers, nc: 2010: 0.75: 14.99 $ Prime Wines, NY: teau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc 2010 Bordeaux White Blend teau les Tuileries Blanc ... 2010 Chateau Bonnet Entre Deux Mers OneFortyWines Just a quick post about a nice white that I just came across, and I wanted to share. The 2010 Chateau Bonnet Entre Deux Mers is a white white Boreaux blend ... Chteau Bonnet - Blanc 2010 - White wine - Entre-deux-Mers Wine.com White Wine by Chateau Bonnet from Bordeaux, France - Bordeaux. Sauvignon Blanc 50%, Semillon 40%, Muscadelle 10%. The wine is brilliant and luminous to the ...

Wine Words: Bordeaux Blend

How often have you heard a wine described as a 'Bordeaux blend' even when it does not come from Bordeaux, France? "Bordeaux blend' is a wine term used to describe a wine that is styled on a Bordeaux wine. But do you know what that exactly means?

If a wine is described as a Bordeaux blend, it is because it is made from some or all of the grape varieties used to make a Bordeaux wine. While it can refer to a white wine, it is generally used when describing a red wine.

Permitted Grape Varieties
The grape varieties used in producing Bordeaux red wine are typically Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Though Malbec and Carmenre are also allowed. Most wine producing regions around the world, where Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot thrive make wines that are sometimes described as being a Bordeaux blend, especially in California's Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Tuscany in Italy, South Africa, the Yarra Valley, Australia and Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Neither a Legal nor a Technical Term
The term 'Bordeaux blend' is neither a technical nor a legal term. There is no "Bordeaux blend' police out there checking that such a wine complies with a specific blend composition. Neither must it adhere to a specific percentage ratio or vinification regime.

Typically a wine described as a Bordeaux blend will be made from at least two of the permitted Bordeaux varieties. It also evokes a certain positioning of style and quality, as in Bordeaux, of a blended, complex, medium-to-full-bodied wine that is typically aged in French barrique before bottling.

Meritage Wines
California has its own special word to describe such wines. It is called Meritage (rhymes with heritage). The Meritage Association was formed in California in 1988 to identify hand-crafted wines made from the 'noble' Bordeaux varieties. While the Meritage Association was founded in California, it has members in many other US wine producing states as well as other countries around the wine producing globe.

White Bordeaux Blend Wines
While, much smaller in production, white wines described as Bordeaux blends are made from a blend of Smillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes.

Mary Gorman-McAdams, MW (Master of Wine), is a New York based wine educator, freelance writer and consultant.

Previous Wine Words

Wine Words: Clarity
Wine Words: Color
Wine Words: Complexity
Wine Words: Texture
Wine Words: Aromas
Wine Words: Alcohol
Wine Words: Body
Wine Words: Tannin
Wine Words: Acidity
Wine Words: Minerality
Wine Words: Length and Finish
Wine Words: Sweetness
Wine Words: Style
Wine Words: Oak
Wine Words: Clarity
Wine Words: Extraction
Wine Words: Sediment
Wine Words: Variety vs. Varietal
Wine Words: Reserva, Riserva, Reserve
Wine Words: Quality
Wine Words: Vintage
Wine Words: Non-Vintage

(Image: Underlying image by Sadovnikova Olga/Shutterstock)

---

What Is a Wine Blend - LoveToKnow: Advice women can trust Wine blends offer more complexity that single varietal wines. In fact, some of the world's greatest wines are made from a blend of grapes rather than a single varietal. Bordeaux wine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department, with a ... Wine, Wine Gifts, Buy and Order Wine Online, Wine Gift Baskets ... Buy wine, wine gifts, and baskets at Wine.com, the 1 rated online wine store. Free shippinga available for all orders. The Grapes of Bordeaux Wine Basics Learn Wine Wine Spectator Bordeaux is unusual in that its wines are created by blending different grapes. Other French regions, such as Chablis or Beaujolais, use 100 percent of one varietal. Cremant de Bordeaux Wine Cremant de Bordeauxwine, Cremant de Bordeaux wine region detail page. Examples of the wines made in Cremant de Bordeaux, where to buy them & pricing details. Glossary of wine terms - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The glossary of wine terms lists the definitions of many general terms used within the wine industry. For terms specific to viticulture, winemaking, grape varieties ... Bordeaux Classifications Into Wine - Wine Recommendations, Food ... The 57 appellations of Bordeaux are not classified in a single official ranking. But the Mdoc, Sauternes and Barsac, Graves, and Saint-Emilion districts do have ... Bordeaux Wine Region in France: World's Most Famous Fine Wine ... Bordeaux is arguably the greatest wine region in the world. Great cellars around the world are filled with wines from the different chateaus of the region. Bordeaux Blend Red Wine Grape Variety Information Bordeaux Blend Red details. Compare prices and buy Bordeaux Blend Red wines and thousands of other wines on wine-searcher.com. Bordeaux Blends - Wine, Wine Gifts, Buy and Order Wine Online ... Bordeaux Blends wines from wine.com. ... A red Bordeaux Blend is a wine made up of two or more of the fab-five Bordeaux Blend varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot ...