Chateau Tour Boisee Minervois

Our primary selection for this WBW challenge was Chateau Tour Bois�e Minervois 1999, which we found for $17. Though we found this wine to be a bit dryer and more mineral in nature than our usual California and Aussie fare, we liked it quite a bit. The nose was very prominent, exhibiting berry, anise, spice, and caramel notes. On the palate, this wine was a mix of juicy cranberry and plum with peppery notes. Overall it was quite astringent and puckery, though the bold flavors and complexity balanced the wine to the point where that character wasn’t unpleasant. Extra breathing time rounded out the flavor to a degree, but some bite remained in the wine’s sustained finish. The wine is composed of 30% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 30% Carignan, and 10% Cinsaut. For additional commentary and wine details, see Chateau Tour Bois�e Minervois 1999.

We also bought a secondary bottle - Les Hauts del la Brune Coteaux du Languedoc 2004. This cost only $8, and hence didn’t meet the WBW #33 criteria. Check out the full report. Like the Minervois, this is a rather dry red, but overall it is not nearly as flavorful. We’d happily trade two bottles of this Languedoc for one of the Minervois.