2012 La Vieille Cure Fronsac |

Ah, Fronsac! A right bank appellation that I rarely see reviews of or photos of bottles drank. Looking at the history of the region, it seems recovery from phylloxera was tough – and only in the last few decades has it started to return to some prominence. While I was familiar with the region by name, I had never sampled the wines – and seeing two bottles of this 2012 La Vieille Cure sitting back in one of my less-frequented local shops, purchased one to try (I'm always looking for hideaways like these). Being right bank, it's a blend of mainly Merlot, with a decent chunk of Cabernet Franc and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (exact blend info was hard to come by) – and a decent vintage for the region. Stored at 55, popped to try a bit, and then decanted over two hours and drank over a further four. Paired with a homemade grilled steak and veggies.

Visually, a deep ruby color, purple hue, strong color to the rim.

On the nose, the first scent upon opening the bottle was strongly Kalamata olives and bell peppers. Very vegetal, very green. I poured it into the decanter for some air and to warm up. After 30 minutes, we started getting the dark fruit – plums, blueberries, blackberries, prunes. Still not very intense, when compared to my most recent Bordeaux – a budget 2016 Cambon la Pelouse (albeit, other side of the river – no comparison to the 2000 L'Arrossee or 2004 Sociando Mallet I’ve had recently too). At an hour, still fruit, some black pepper – and at two hours I got the full experience I was after – tobacco, cigar box, charcoal – still paired with that dark fruit, a hint of coffee. Comparatively though, a less intense nose than I hoped for.

On the palate, the tannins remained strong over the two hours it decanted, and still notable by the last glass at hour six after opening. Lunch at hour two was a great experience – the tobacco leaf and smoke/pepper flavors pairing wonderfully with the steak, and the wine had plenty of decent acidity to cut through the beef. Medium bodied, and even at warmer temps, the 14% never called attention to itself. There's still plenty of time left in this wine. My preference is for Bordeaux around ~20 years of age, and I'm leaning towards going back and grabbing that other bottle to save until 2030 at least to compare notes. The structure is definitely there. Finish is a little middling, but average isn't bad!

At the $40 price point I paid for this, and considering my budget hunts and back-of-shelf searches, I've been able to find better RB/LB Bordeaux with my preferred age – but overall, I'm still pleased with the bottling and with the pairing.