MCF Rare Wine
Another Bordeaux Value from 2004
By now, most of you have either come to know Greg from dealing with him here in the shop or over phone/email and he stays on top of the incoming and outgoing wines.
Greg joined us at the end of last Summer after nearly 30 years in Paris, the last 10+ of which were spent managing a wine shop not all that dissimilar from what we do here.
He's a been great addition and we love having him here. Beyond his ability to jump right in and know exactly how to hand-sell unique wines to customers, it's also great having a second perspective, if you will.
For example, take the 2004 vintage in Bordeaux. Here in the states, at least from my point of view, it was generally a well-received vintage full of very good wines made in a 'classic' style - restrained, aromatic, lively and balanced.
It wasn't a blockbuster, but it was solid-plus, and, if anything, was lost in between the warm, rich 2003s and the benchmark 2005s.
From Greg's recollection, though, from the viewpoint of the fine wine market in France, 2004 was regarded as, well...not so good...
However you recall the vintage, what we've found lately, is that there seems to be a number of really good 2004s that are still hanging around, just waiting to be rediscovered (see the lovely Hauts du Tertre 2004 we offered a few months back that you all loved), and today I'm happy to offer another.
Fourcas Dupre is a historic estate in the Listrac Medoc whose wines I've always liked for their traditional style - they're restrained, balanced and elegant, eschewing the overly-dense, over-polished style that has become commonplace, especially in this price range.
Match that with the 'classic' style of 2004, and slap on another decade-plus of bottle age and, at $31/btl, you've got a great little glass of wine.
The tannins are just about fully resolved and the profile is one of generous, elegant red fruits, fine aromatics and a wonderful herbaceous, mineral inflected core.
In other words, it's a great 'house wine' that you can enjoy thoroughly on a weeknight, or pour in party-quantity without feeling it too deeply in your wallet.
However you recall the 2004 vintage, it's certainly worth revisiting in this little beauty.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street
New York 10011
mcf@mcf-rarewine.com
212.255.8870
www.mcf-rarewine.com
