Just like when giving directions or discussing politics, when it comes to Bordeaux it’s important to know your right from your left. The term “right-bank Bordeaux” refers to wines made from fruit grown on the Eastern side of the Gironde river around the city of Libourne. Unlike wines from the Left Bank, which tend to be Cabernet based, the predominant grape on the Right Bank is Merlot, which is blended with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. Hailing from the satellite AOC Montagne-Saint-Émilion and the tiny Canon-Fronsac appellation, these bottles from the 2005 vintage best represent winemaking on Bordeaux’s right-bank.

Château Mazeris Canon Fronsac 2005
$22
Château Mazeris has been in the Mazeris Cournand family since 1769; today Patrick de Cournand manages the winery. The property boasts seventeen hectares of vines, of which 80% is Merlot (the remaining 20% is Cabernet Franc). Located at the confluence of two rivers, the Dordogne and the Isle at Libourne, the estate’s geography helps protect the vineyards from spring frost. Each variety is harvested and vinified separately. After fermentation, the wines go into barrel and are blended into the final cuvée twelve months later.

Château Rocher Corbin Montagne Saint-Émilion 2005
$35
The single-estate vineyard of Château Rocher Corbin consists of 10-and-a-half hectares in one block, situated on the western slope of the Calon mound. Most vines were planted after the war, although some are much older: one parcel of Merlot is 140 years old! Under the careful guidance of Philippe Durand this estate has improved year after year through thorough practices of pruning, de-budding, low yields and hand harvesting. The wine is aged for fourteen months in French oak barrels with new barrels added each year depending on the vintage. An 80%-20% Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, this   well-structured and full-bodied Bordeaux exudes a fleshy, fruity palate, rich aromas and fabulous aging potential.

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

We like wines from the Rhône Valley because they provide everyday drinking pleasure from which we never grow tired. Like many of our favorite Italian wines, the best Rhône wines feature varieties native to the region vinified to best reflect their terroir. They smell of herbs, olives, rocks and pepper with subtle fruit and little or no new oak. They might be described as “workhorse” wines, but that belies the fact that, while simple on the surface, they can often offer subtleties and charms not immediately apparent. They are great at the table and often a better bargain.

For reds, Grenache and Syrah are key. The former is dominant in the Southern Rhône, where wines from Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and Vinsobres boast sweet-cherry fruit up front and richness and warmth on the palate. The latter stars in Northern Rhône wines such as Crozes-Hermitage, which are sturdier with more of a bramble-fruit-and-bacon profile. In the best examples of each we also get pleasant bitter notes, beautiful Provençal herb scents, or garrigue, and even baking spices that take the wines into a more pensive realm.

Vino has a burgeoning selection of wines from this terrific Southern French region, including a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape, made from white Rhône varieties Grenache Blanc and Clairette. These are straightforward, immensely food-friendly wines that you can drink everyday. Taste two of them this Friday from 5:30pm!

Château La Baume Costières de Nîmes 2007 (Rhône Valley, France)
$15

Domaine Courtois “La Grande Vigne” Côtes du Rhône 2008 (Rhône Valle, France)
$16

Domaine Bernard Ange Crozes-Hermitage 2007 (Rhône Valley, France)
$20

Domaine Lou Dévet Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2009 (Rhône Valley, France)
$45

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.