| Earlier I introduced you to the 2005 Bordeaux. I | | | | bottle will be more expensive. |
| spoke about finding a varietal, a region, a vintage | | | | The costs to run a winery are fixed to a degree |
| and a good price (VRVP). The price I like best is | | | | and this cost, or expense, to run the winery has |
| under $10. Before I jump in and tell you about the | | | | be spread out over less bottles, then the price |
| 2005 Chateaux La Rame that I bought for $13.99 | | | | per bottle has to go up. Conversely if the winery |
| last week, I will discuss the second deciding | | | | produced a lot of cases and the expenses were |
| factor, region, for a bit. | | | | fixed, then the price per bottle would be less. |
| You probably think that dirt is dirt, just about | | | | Often, the more popular a wine label is with the |
| everywhere. But what makes dirt different is | | | | public, the higher the price of the wine. This has to |
| why a varietal from one place is so much | | | | do with the reputation of the winery. I suspect |
| different than the same varietal from some other | | | | that is the reason why the Chateau Lafite |
| place. The French have a term that is "terrior" | | | | Rothschild goes for $1,000. |
| which means the dirt, the climate and the | | | | Most of the lower priced 2005 Bordeaux can be |
| temperature. It could also include the geology, | | | | served today or if you buy more than one bottle, |
| altitude, positioning of the ground as in south | | | | you could cellar the vintage to enjoy over the |
| facing or on a northern slope. It is the "terrior" of | | | | next two or three years. If you do try one, most |
| any region that separates one wine varietal from | | | | of the reviews of the wine I have seen, say to |
| another or Bordeaux from a Burgundy. You could | | | | uncork the bottle and let the wine breath for an |
| find two brands of Merlot and both are from the | | | | hour or so. I bought a total of three bottles of |
| Russian River Valley in California and they will be | | | | Bordeaux - $10.99, $13.99 and $15.49. The bottle |
| like night and day apart in flavor and most likely in | | | | for $10.99 was from the 2004 vintage. I will try |
| price. That is because one gets the ocean breeze | | | | to write about the other two in the near future, |
| on a southern facing hill side and the other is | | | | but first let me tell you about the 2005 Chateaux |
| sitting in a valley where the light does not shine all | | | | La Rame that I bought for $13.99. |
| day long, the climate hotter, and the geology | | | | The color was a nice red. The wine was clear, not |
| totally different. | | | | chewy like some wines can be. If you held the |
| Although I like wines under $10, I have to | | | | glass up to the light, you could see through. Not |
| remember, and you should too, the economics of | | | | clearly, although it was clear and bright. The taste |
| wine. I have to take the number of cases a | | | | was simple, clean and dry. I did not sense any |
| winery produced and the reputation of the winery | | | | presence of oak in this bottle. We did let the |
| in the marketplace to determine how much a | | | | bottle breathe for about 40 minutes. The nose |
| bottle will cost. I have seen the number of cases | | | | presented a fireplace smell like you would smell on |
| produced in reviews before, but never really | | | | a really cold day, in the middle of winter. I noted |
| stopped to think of why this was important. Note | | | | some acidity early in the tasting, but as time |
| a higher price for the bottle you are looking at | | | | went on, the wine became smoother. Overall, it |
| might mean the winery did not produce as many | | | | was a fair bottle of wine. I have had many wines |
| cases of the vintage. That means the price per | | | | under $10 that I thought were better, however. |