Paycheck Tasting 6-17-08

After an eventful night of bottling 30 bottles of Chardonnay, we were able to sit down with a bottle of Bordeaux. For the second installment of our paycheck tastings we opened the 2003 Chateau Lilian Ladouys from Saint - Estephe. Based on the location, this wine is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a distinct slant toward the "terrior".

Tasting Notes:

Mike: This wine had strong, obvious aromas of cherry, raspberry and an earthy leave component. Not so obvious, but much more interesting was the cola slurpee smell. In fact, it reminded me of the cola part of the cherry cola flavored popsicles that I bought at Wegmans.

The mouth feel was silky with strong tannins. The wine had a cherry sauce flavor with some Bordeaux earth and a familiar concrete dust finish. The other Bordeaux wines I've had have all had a concrete dust finish.

Overall, I enjoyed this wine. I dont know what the price was b/c John bought it, but i would guess in the ballpark of 15-20 bucks. For that price I would buy it in a pinch. It wont turn any heads, but it also wont piss you off b/c you spent 20 bucks. Unfortunately, you cant really find too many steals in Bordeaux under 20 bucks.

Score: 87

John: This wine started out a little slow and soft for me. Its appearance had good color and tannic structure but the bordeaux was very subtle and almost pinot-ish on the first taste and on the nose. After the initial pour I got a strong sense of raw cherries but not much else.

As it began to open up the wine became much more appealing to all the senses. I was still get a lot of cherries but it turned more to a candied sweet cherry than a natural one. I also started to get hints of tobacco, particularly those found in the wrapper of a good cigar. This was hinting more to the earthy sense that you would get from the region and varietal type of wine.

I got the same cherry and tobacco notes on the pallette with a good mouthfeel, but not as strong as I have gotten with some other full-bodied Bordeaux. I also got a hint of vanilla that I didn't get on the nose as well as a slight taste of garlic butter. On the finish I was getting a good dark chocolate taste that lasted well beyond the first tastes.

Overall, this was a good Bordeaux but I have also had better less expensive bottles. It was a 2003 so it did take a little longer to open up than the 2005 vintage. Overall not worth the price (Mike doesn't know it was in the $30+ range) but a decent wine non the less. Would pair well, like other Bordeaux, with Steak and other red meats or dishes heavy with spices.

Score: 89