The beauty of wine, is that if you know a little geography, you can make some excellent wine choices without breaking the bank, like these two wines that I recently had at my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  One is an Haut-Medoc, and if the you know the pecking order of Bordeaux, from the top with the fine Chateau listings, you go to the Communes, and they are part of the Medoc, and the top Communes are all in the Haut-Medoc.  The other wine is from Tuscany and I think everyone has heard of what is called “Super Tuscans” and what the Italians simply term Toscana IGT.

Chateau La Lauzette-Declercq Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois 2019 is part of the wines from Frans & Liz Roskam.  The Brunot-Roskam family became the owners of Chateau Cantenac and they are now into the Fourth Generation of winemakers.  Before being named La Lauzette-Declercq during the Nineties, this Cru Bourgeois from the Haut-Medoc was known as Chateau Bellegrave with a Listrac-Medoc appellation.  M. Declercq, a Belgian owner, gave the winery its new name, and since 2005, the winery is managed by Frans & Liz Roskam.  Haut-Medoc accounts for two-thirds of the Medoc peninsula; and is famed for its famous four Communes of Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Estephe and Saint-Julien as well as Listrac and Moulis and they account for the majority of the wine produced in the Haut-Medoc.  The soil for this region is basically thick gravel layers over heavy clay, which is perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon and as one gets further from the river, the soil is more clay which is ideal for Merlot.  AOC Cru Bourgeois is awarded to about two-hundred-fifty chateaus and the list may change yearly and since 2010, the list is published in September.  This term actually goes back to the Middle Ages, but was really defined in 1932 by the Bordeaux wine merchants to celebrate the wineries that did not make the 1855 Classification.  The wine is a blend of fifty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, forty-two percent Merlot and three percent Cabernet Franc and the vines average about forty-years of age.  After fermentation the wine is aged in oak barrels for twelve months.  This deep red wine offers notes of dark fruits, violets, vanilla, and coffee.  On the palate tones of blackberry, cherry, and blueberry with secondary tones of tobacco, good firm tannins, balanced and a nice lengthy finish of terroir.  A perfect affordable wine from Bordeaux. 

Le Volte Dell’ Ornellaia Toscana IGT 2020 is from one of the most famed producers in the Bolgheri appellation of Tuscany.  It was from these Bordeaux-style blends that created the term “Super Tuscan” instead of using the famous Sangiovese.  Wines that do not make the cut to become Ornellaia become the winery’s second wine Le Serre Nuove Dell’ Ornellaia with more Merlot and less aging.  Their third wine is Le Volte Dell’ Ornellaia which is also more Merlot based.  Ornellaia was founded in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori and the first vintage was in 1985.  From 2002 to 2005, the estate was co-owned by Robert Mondavi and Marchesi De Frescobaldi, but since 2005 Frescobaldi has owned it outright.  The wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.  Each varietal underwent Initial Fermentation separately in small Stainless Steel tank, and followed by Malolactic Fermentation also in Stainless Steel. The wine was then aged for ten months, partly in barrique used previously for Ornellaia and partly in Concrete tanks.  The ruby red wine offered notes of red fruits, tobacco, and spices.  On the palate a sexy silky wine with tones of cherry, cassis, Mediterranean spices, lively acidity, tight tannins and a nice medium length finish of terroir and fruit.  An easy drinking wine with or without food, but definitely with friends.