Chateau Tartuguiere Medoc and wine legs

Back in Leeds again after my March trip to Florida and France. Trip was both relaxing and stressful. A lot to sort out helping my mum in clearing out Florida and moving stuff to France. But also had time to chill in both locations. And yes, stopped of in my house in Boulogne sur Mer to stock up on some wine.

With the new 24 bottle limit, I split my purchase with 20 bottles that I had bought before, and know I like, and 4 new ones to review in the upcoming months. I will stick to this ratio going forward. This month reviewing a Medoc wine, from Chateau Tartuguiere. But first….

What is a Medoc

Firstly, it is a region (not a grape) in the Bordeaux area, stretching along the coast from the city in the south to Soulac sur Mer further north. Some wines in the southern area have a separate appellation called ‘Haute Medoc’. [From ‘French Wines’ by Robert Joseph]. Hopefully I will get the chance to review one of these another time. Not actually too much in my existing wine books or online on this wine.

From the website Vins de Bordeaux:
AROMAS
Liquorice, red and black small berry fruit, animal and roasted coffee aroma appears with Ageing
PALATE
Structured, robust, round.

From a new wine book of mine ‘The Periodic Table of Wine’ (to be reviewed next month):

“This maritime region is gravelly, which suits Cabernet Sauvignon better than Merlot wines“. Although Medoc blends both (more Cabernet Sauvignon) and often with Cabernet Franc too. “…the tannins will be softer and silky where there is more Merlot in the blend“. “serve with meat and cheeses“.

So now to try one.

Chateau Tartuguiere Medoc

Reviewed with Fiona and Rose. The plan was to spend about half an hour sorting out our online visa application form for trip to Tanzania, then have time to chill out, enjoy and review the wine. However the application process proved to be a real hassle and took most of the evening. So unfortunately the review ended up being quite rushed. And I did not take photos of the bottle that I normally do, so images are from the web. One benefit of looking online for this wine is that I could compare prices when buying in the UK with buying at Auchan in Boulogne. Note that label on Auchan bought wine (on image of the bottle) is different to the one that you can purchase in the UK.

• Chateau Tartuguiere Medoc
• € 7.12 at Auchan
• Online in UK Vivino £7.92, Wine Searcher £23
• 13.5%

Just general comments noted due to lack of time after hassle with visa application.

Aroma: The aroma was very nice, liked by all. “rich, dark fruits, oaky” (Paul): “very nice” (Rose): “Whoah, ooh, very nice” (Fiona).

Taste: As with the aroma “rich, dark fruits” (Paul): “Smooth and mellow, mellow tannins. Needed to go with a meal, a good olde world wine.” (Rose).

Overall a very nice wine. Definitely a good choice when wanting a full bodied wine to go with a meaty dish, but not as heavy as a St Emilion (which I sometimes find a bit too heavy for my tastes), and as Rose commented, it would have been better with a meal, particularly a meaty one. She also commented that it did not have legs. I had heard of this expression before, but did not really know what it meant, so….

What are wine legs

Wine legs are the droplets of wine after you swirl it. From one of the best wine websites, Wine Folly:

“How to Assess Wine Legs
Before swirling your glass hold the wine at an angle to let it flow up one side of the glass. Next, level the glass and see how the wine flows (viscosity) and observe the density of the legs that form. If you see a lot of legs, you can guess that the wine is higher alcohol,”

So it can indicate a higher alcohol content, but does it mean a better wine. the consensus seems to say not.

From Wine Connoisseur:

“In years past, wine legs have been associated with a wine’s quality. It was often thought that the more legs that were present in a wine, the higher the quality of the bottle. This idea has since been disproven.”

From Usual Wines:

“Although the myth of wine legs continues, science shows that these tear-shaped streaks do not indicate quality, and they certainly don’t require your attention when choosing wine.”

So it is good to swirl a glass of wine, as it helps decant the wine, and it is interesting to look at the legs, do not pay too much attention to them.

As for Medoc wines, I really liked this one and will buy more. But maybe save for a meat dish.