Hi. Today we’re tasting French wine. Stay tuned and watch the video to learn a little bit more about Rosé, Bordeaux, and French Merlot.

Hi. I’m Tim from Elma Wine and Liquor. Today we’ll be tasting three French wines. These are all from France that’s why they’re French wines. We are going to start with a Rosé. We’re going to be doing another episode soon all about Rosés and explain them a little bit more so be sure to subscribe.

Provence Rosé

This particular one is Aimé Roquesante, which I don’t know if I’m pronouncing correctly; feel free to correct me in the comments. It is from the Côtes de Provence which is the traditional home of Rosé. This particular one is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. Cinsault is a type of grape. It is typically used in blends and you’ll find it very often in Rosé especially Provence Rosé. Rosés should be served chilled. I get a strong aroma of strawberries and melon. The nose is very nice and very refreshing. I also taste some strawberries on the palate. There are some very faint hints of citrus and some acidity but not overpowering. This is very fresh, very easy drinking, and full bodied. It has a good texture to it and a nice dry finish. It will be a great summer wine to sip before meal or in the hot afternoon sun.

French Merlot

Next up, we have a Merlot from France. This is the Maison Nicolas 2015 Merlot. The first thing I noticed about this is as I poured it, is the deep purplish ruby color which I like. The nose has some blackberries and blackcurrant. Very appealing sweet nose. I also taste some blackberries at the beginning of the sip. Unfortunately, it’s a little flat which means that it doesn’t have very much to it. It doesn’t evolve much. The flavors are there and then they die off quickly. There’s a little tannin structure to it but not quite enough. It’s very easy drinking, very casual wine. This is definitely more of an American style which is a little bit more fruity, it doesn’t have the acidity or the dry, tannic finish that I would expect from a French Merlot.

2015 Bordeaux

Last up, we have a 2015 Bordeaux, Château Tarin Bordeaux. The grape growing region of Bordeaux in France has seen some very classic vintages. They are predicting that 2015 will go down in history as one of their best vintages. There has not been a great vintage from Bordeaux since 2010, so the 2015 wines have been highly anticipated. You will start seeing more and more of the 2015s on store shelves now. After they’ve been aged in barrels and after they’ve been aged in bottles, they are starting to be released now, in early 2017. Bordeaux can be a blend of any of the five major grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, or Petite Verdot. This particular one is 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a very nice dark red color. The nose does not have much too it right now, probably because it was just open. This might need to breathe for a little bit longer. It’s got almost like a barnyard smell right now. I think that will blow off as it is open a little bit longer.

Even though this is 70% Merlot and the Nicolas was 100% Merlot, they are nothing alike. Tight away on the sip there is a lot more tannin structure to it, a lot more dryness that really grabs your mouth. That has a lot to do with the amount of Cabernet Franc in it. It has a lot more structure, a lot more tannins. It adds a level of complexity to the wine so it’s evolving in my mouth as I sip it. Very smooth finish, not overly acidic, not a ton of alcohol. Very smooth, very nice, very good Bordeaux. Also at a very good value.

Let Us Know What You Think

That is it for today. Those are our French wines. We really appreciate you watching the videos. We hope that we can answer any questions you may have. If you have any comments or would like to know anything in particular about any of the items or anything I talked about in the video, please let us know in the comments below. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Cheers.

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