Grapelive Wine of the Week
By Kerry Winslow
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2008 Chateau Grand Mayne Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emilion, Red Bordeaux.
For those looking for a great Bordeaux that still qualifies as a value, would be well served to stock up on the 2008 Grand-Mayne, while not cheap, it delivers top notch quality and finesse. Some might suggest that its ripeness pushes the limit, it remains well balanced and will no doubt mature with grace and show remarkable depth and purity for a decade at least, while being a huge joy even in the short term. Grand Mayne is set on one of the best hillside slopes in all of “Right Bank” if not all Bordeaux, and with it’s make up 80% Melot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon it has great complexity and big flavors. The perfume and spiciness lift it above almost anything it the price range in both Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, and the lush and full body make it very approachable to more modern wine drinkers, me included to be honest. Clean and rich with great detail the Grand Mayne 2008 is a huge success and still can be found easily on the market at pre-release prices, so do a little searching and reserve some, it will be worth it, and I won’t be alone in praising this gem in the coming years! The nose is savory and toasty sweet with coca powder, blackberries and flower petals with a explosion of black and blue fruits on the palate and the wine is mouth filling with bold flavors and firm structured layers. There is some grippy tannins, but they fade into the background quickly and the subtle and smoky oak softens this Bordeaux nicely. The rich mouth has blackberry, boysenberry, spiced cherry, cedar, mocha and currants with plummy texture and hints of sweet herbs and spices along with touch of mineral and tobacco.
($79-125 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
Due in May 2011
Still available at Pre-Sale at www.sfwtc.com $59.95 (Pre-Paid)
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