Château Amour 2011 Médoc ($23)

Clear dark garnet at the center, dark almost to the clear edge. Attractive if simple, characteristic Bordeaux scents, blackcurrants and black cherries reflect its equal proportions of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Fresh black fruit and a clear sense of Bordeaux cedar/”pencil lead” on the palate, laced up with palate-cleansing acidity, reasonable 13% alcohol, and soft but perceptible tannins. Tart black fruit lingers in a long finish. U.S. importer: Plume Ridge, Claremont, Calif., California Wine Club’s International Selections (Jan. 9, 2016)

FOOD MATCH: A natural with beef or lamb or good cheese; it was excellent with baked Brie with pecans; the wine’s acidity, tannins and black fruit made a great foil for the rich, creamy cheese, with the nutty sweetness of the pecans playing a grace note.

WHEN TO DRINK: It’s fine now, but there’s no rush to drink it. Good fruit and balance five years past the vintage suggest that this modest wine might evolve into more complexity over reasonable time (five years?) under good cellar conditions..

VALUE: Competing within the pricey range of Bordeaux, it’s a fine value in the lower $20s, and I would buy it again at this price. If you consider the $20s a price point to reserve for special occasions, however, you might find more QPR in other less lofty wine neighborhoods.

WEB LINK
Here is the winery’s fact sheet on Château Amour Médoc.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Château Amour Médoc on Wine-Searcher.com.

Wine-Searcher.com offers only a few vendors for this wine, but you can find lots of affordable Medoc on this Wine-Searcher.com link. Click the blue “Cheapest” tab at the top to sort the wines from lowest price upward.

Finally, The California Wine Club has this International Series selection for $23 at this link.