Chateau Rossenovo Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon

I joined a local wine group this week for a tasting and David - one of the members had very kindly picked 6 wines to taste blind - some were easier than others, this was the fourth wine tasted on the evening, and this is a wine that was definetly better tasted blind, it was a wine that would have been judged differently if you knew what it was ( well I am sure I would have judged it before I had tasted it).
This wine had a lovely garnet rim and indicated some age - 4-5 years plus, when we popped our noses in the glass - there were alot of satisfied 'ummms', cedar, spice and a good whallop of black / red fruits hit you, slight mustiness to start but alot of wines have this when tasted straight after opening and disappear after a few swirls.
On the mouth, silky texture, black fruit and cedar box were my initial write-downs, good acidity, keeps that big fruit fresh, the alcohol was bang on, warm but not out of kilter, tannins - well they were dry, stalky but savoury at the same time. I felt this wine was from a cool climate, had lots of elegance and some class!
The length was good but not great - I had judged this wine as a good quality Bordeaux ( sort of Cru Bourgeois quality from the left bank - Cab Sauv dominant) it was a varietal it was not going to come from Bordeaux - the land of blends......
On unveling the wine, David sheepishly admitted that this was a wine from Bulgaria, South Black Sea Coast,  and the cheapest wine of the night - and as we foulater at the end of the tastas alot of peoples favourites...... Brilliant!! I love a bargain!
Chateau Rossenovo can be found at Underwoods wine in Warwick at the bargain price of £4.98.
Score : 89

Château Sciando-Mallet 2004

Château Sciando-Mallet 2004 is a château not included in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc, and chose not to take part in the Cru Bourgeois in 1932 and the history of the property has been varied, but it is property that produces quality wines at a price that offers value. The property sits  in the commune of St.-Seurin de Cadourne, just to the north of St Estèphe, and the vineyard is densely planted  with high yields up to 80 hl/ha The varieties planted are 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the remaining 5% are part Cabernet Franc and part Petit Verdot. Manual harvest, gentle crush and cold maceration for up to 3 weeks after a warm (33c) fermantation. Oak maturation is used, and up to 100%  oak for the top wines but 20% for the second wine and finally the wine is bottled without fining or filtration.

The wine has an elegance which only comes with good breeding and careful treatment, the aromas of black berry fruits, chocolate, cedar box and spice and the influence is continued through to the palate, here the tannins are soft, silky but supportive, the acidity offers an elegance and nerve to the wine while the alcohol supports the whole structure, the length - long and sweet black fruits and spice that adds multi level complexity. A fine wine with real pedigree - elegant, complex and generous fruit and accessible - great class!
Score : 94

Château Caronne Ste Gemme 2007 ( Cru Bourgeois Superior) Bordeaux is from the vineyard of Caronne Ste-Gemme is made up of 45 hectares in the central Médoc in the left bank of Bordeaux planted on a mound of gravel with a base of iron-rich sandstone. Plantings consist of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot and the average vine age is 25 years planted at a density of 10000 vines/ha. François Nony   has introduced green harvesting in the vineyard to reduce the yield and increase the quality of the resultant grapes, after fermentation the resultant wine is matured in oak ( 20% new) for 12 months, racked, and fined with egg whites before bottling.



On the nose, green pepper, black fruits and sweet spices mix contentedly with wood shavings, these follow through to the palate, with tannins ripe, but chewy, savoury and chalky, the alcohol is warming but well integrated, and the body feels settled with the fruit, this is a well structured wine, fruit jostles for space with the spice and leather, the length, long and sweet spicy fruits - a wine that tells you where it came from and that it has been made with care - thankyou!
£12.99 from when on offer Majestic, a good value wine which still has time to improve in bottle - but it is lovely now!

Cru Bourgeois  - what does this term mean.

In the 1855 classification of the Medoc, many properties ( Chateau) that were not included. In 1932 a selection of 444 properties were put forward for classification, and this was split into 3 seperate classifications Cru Bourgeois , Cru Bourgeois Superior and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.

In 2003 there was a shake-up of the whole Cru Bourgeois system with the numbers contained in the ranks reduced to 247, this was legally challenged and so annulled by some of those that had been relegated/demoted. The list was to be Exceptionnel (9 properties), Supérieurs (87 properties) and straight Bourgeois (151 properties).

In 2010 in response to the 2003 annulment a new certification adopting the term Label Cru Bourgeois, was created "not as a classification, but as a mark of quality" open to all Medoc wines, based on production and quality standards, and assessed by an independent body. It was to include 180 estates from the defunct 2003 ranking, along with 95 new entrants.

The revision demanded that estates adhere to a new set of production rules and independent quality testing in order to remain in the classification, and the terms Cru Bourgeois Supérieur or Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel would no longer be used. Of the 290 producers who applied for Cru Bourgeois status for their 2008 wine, 243 were successful. In September 2011, the 2009 classification was announced. Of 304 applicants, 246 were successful