ChaFonreaud
Chateau Fonreaud from the 2005 vintage
The 2005 Bordeaux is the "vintage of the decade", at least until the 2009s hit the market. This is Chateau Fonreaud.
Fonreaud is Cru Bourgeois in the 2003 classification, which placed it among the top 247 producers in the Left Bank region. Forget all that. There are 7,000 wine producers in France, so your best bet is to pick from those imported by top distributors. I happen to know that Heidelberg Distributing in Independence has a few of the best wine tasters in the business, so the fact that they brought this wine in is good enough for me. And really, 2005 was such a good year, it's hard to go wrong.
This is a very dry wine, lighter in body than you will find in similar California reds. It is a blend (as are all French claret type wines) of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. It tastes of dark cherry or tart raspberry, and I found it paired very nicely with Italian red sauce, a filet mignon, and a grilled cornish hen that had been marinated in a sweet garlic and ginger emulsion. That's because when matching wines, it's a good thing if you try to match dry wines with sweeter flavors. You might keep that in mind whenever you are trying to match food and drink.
The Fonreaud also has a good solid tannin base, which cuts through fat. I think you could safely drink this with any barbecued meats. I got this bottle at Papa Joe's wine store, attached to the restaurant in the valley, and I think you will find it relatively widely distributed. I thought it was an excellent value at $30.
