Chateau La Tour Saint Bonnet Medoc, 1990

This wine has no connection to the more famous Chateau La Tour. As a result, vintages of this wine since 1996 are now labeled "Tour Saint Bonnet:" to avoid infringement on the first growth's copyright. Tour Saint Bonnet is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot fermented in cement tanks and matured in large oak foudres rather than barriques. I paid about $139 for a case when I bought it on futures, and the price has not escalated much since that time. It is always a good value for an ageworthy every day wine.

Medium light brickish red with some free floating sediment. Lifted smells and flavors of cherries, currants, plums and a hint of cigar box. Fully mature, with more tertiary than primary fruit flavors, but I have noticed no downward slide over the past 5 or 10 years. 

On the second night, the free floating sediment has disappeared and the flavors are more defined and concentrated. Usually, when I open a wine that has been in the cellar for this many years, it is a special occasion and I place the bottle in a standing position so that sediment will settle at the bottom. As a mid-week choice, I simplly took this wine from the rack and popped the cork without decanting--a mistake.