I Love Bordeaux Wines!

Why? The red wines of Bordeaux provided me with my first “Wow Moment” for wine. Now I’m going to be dating myself, but while in college I was drinking wine on a college student budget. These wines consisted of Lancers, Mateus, and Gallo Hearty Burgundy, all of which were around $3 – $5.00 a bottle, but then one day I splurged. I bought a $10 red Bordeaux and it was fantastic! It even had a vintage on the bottle. It was soft, pleasant with multiple flavors that I couldn’t explain back then. I was hooked, and from that time on I would save $10 – $12 a week to buy a Bordeaux at Louis’ Market.

However, this is only a partial explanation for why Cooper Wine and Spirits represents a wide variety of Bordeaux. Another reason is, over the past 5-8 years really good California Cabernets, Merlots, and Red Blends are; over $40, need to be stored away for some time, and are 15% and higher in alcohol so why not look for an alternative.

The biggest reason for me to take such a “strong position” on Bordeaux for my customers is the re-release of 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2010 vintages, especially 2009 & 2010! Winemakers, winery owners, and wine critics throughout the world consider these to be two of the greatest vintages to ever come out of Bordeaux. It’s the first time in Bordeaux long history for consecutive vintages to be rated as “Outstanding”!

How do I buy Bordeaux? Twice a year, two different wholesalers provide me with an 18 page “Pre-sale” of Bordeaux that are current release and re-released vintages. The type set is #11 so it’s an offering of hundreds of Bordeaux! I spend many hours trying to find the best wines from different appellations and different price points. I then turn in my orders. The wholesalers then submit these orders to the wineries to arrive in the near future. The wines are cellared at the wineries, so the Bordeaux I order in Feb. arrives in June and the wine I order in August arrives in November.