Exploring Wine: St. Emilion

Chateau Cheval Brun, St. Emilion Grand Cru, 2009, $30 (approximately, it was a gift from Gman)

My rating for this bottle? I would drink the bottle.

Whenever Gman and I want to get a special bottle of wine we always grab something from St. Emilion. After his marriage proposal (which was where we first met, here) we took the train down to Bordeaux and stayed in the heart of the medieval town, St. Emilion. While on our trip, we were introduced to the glories of the wines from this part of France. Our time there was one of the best of my life and truly unforgettable (don't worry, I'll tell you about it soon!).

So last week he surprised me with this bottle. In my tasting notes I wrote,

deep cherry, purple-red in color

smokey

earthy, tobacco?

juicy berries

medium to full body but soft

short finish

The most common grapes used in St. Emilion are a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and some Cabernet Franc which are all pretty sturdy on their own. This was a bolder taste than I've had in other reds, so I'm not sure if everyone would like it.

I do because every time I take a sip my transported back to our time in St. Emilion when I was perfectly peaceful and giddy with engagement excitement. Do you ever experience that with wine? Or what about music or scent?