Le blog du Grand Jury

The vintage 2005 is known for it´s greatness all over France - and in some cases for crazy prices never seen and never expected before. What to do if you are a lover of Bordeaux wine? The old and wise men of Bordeaux gave always the advice – buy the little wines in the best years and the Grands Crus in the others. I made the experience long ago: Not a bad idea! 

During my vacation at the Cote ´d Azur I bought some 2005 Crus Bourgeoise at Carrefour to taste this wines from bottle. Among them was a Rollan de By. The price was 12,95 Euros - ergo very low. And to say it clear - I guess it will be hard to buy a bottle of wine with a better QPR – no matter from which area it is.

That Rollan de By is without a question Grand Cru Classé in quality IMO. The wine has a very deep colour – no surprise. But it is in no way overly extracted. The tannins are not dry or bitter but wonderfully smooth. I guess the wine has a lot of tannin but it is hidden behind waves of fresh fruit. This is in no way a simple wine – contrary – it has complexity either and very good freshness.

Curiously the wine was made by Italian Riccardo Cotarella! Alain Reynaud was also involved. Everybody talks about the high prices of Bordeaux these days. This wine shows that this is a prejudice. Look for bottles of this wine. It will hold for a long time and will provide a lot of pleasure. If you have Label drinker among your guest decant the wine into an empty Grand Cru bottle – nobody will be aware of it.