Vieux Lartigue Saint-Emilion Gran Cru 2008

This is the wine steal of the century - at least in my book!


A €30 bottle of Saint-Emilion for €15 in the Wein & Co. bargain bin: talk about sweet. Or, dry, actually. I was completely on the fence about the whole thing, until I decided, hey, this is a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of deal on my favorite type of wine! I would be a sucker not to get it, and spend the whole €30 on the bottle later, or never get it and wonder - what if?

I've been saving this one for a special occasion, and had a really rough weekend, so I figured tonight was as good a night as any to celebrate and pep myself up.

The wine is smooth, attractively deep and purple. The bouquet is a bit unusual. Upon opening the bottle, I was reminded of olive oil, tomatoes and strawberries. The flavor is more akin to black currants and blueberries. The finish is smooth and velvety.

I savored this particular bottle with a Greek salad, Pecorino cheese and a small slice of bakery bought Sachertorte. It's life's little pleasures, isn't it?

Rosé de Chevalier 2011

This delicious Bordeaux rosé was another bargain bin delight from Wein & Co. I am basically a sucker for anything with "Chevalier" in the name...perhaps it has something to do with the magnificent red wine once sampled in Montreal...? That was called something like "Vin du Moyen-Age."

The notes in this rosé are flowery, with a refreshing finish - a nice complement to this incredibly hot weather in Vienna (it was 29 today)! Rosé is often a tricky one to pull off, but in the summer, I like to think of it as a hot weather red. Although nothing can beat the rosé CB and I tried in 2008 in Mont de Marsin, a little town just outside Bordeaux, this came pretty close. Who says wine can't be a thirst quencher?