No adventurous pairings or exotic bottles tonight. It’s Restaurant Week in Dallas, which means it’s time for some steak ‘n Bordeaux!
For local foodies, taking full advantage of DFW Restaurant Week–it actually lasts for more than a month–can be hard on the liver, the waistline, and the wallet. That’s why me and my table opted to share this third wine from Château Phélan Ségur: The 2018 La Croix Bonis ($64 at Steve Fields Steakhouse in Plano).
La Croix Bonis is made from five plots from the north of the Château Phélan Ségur estate of Saint-Estèphe, nearly bordering the Gironde. (The keystone-shaped tract is depicted on the label.) Most vintages of La Croix are Merlot-dominant, but in the 2018 the scales tip ever-so-slightly toward Cab. It’s typically aged for 12 months with little or no new oak, and has a suggested drinking window of 5-8 years.
It pours up a deep ruby color. Classic (but not extremely pronounced) aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry, cedar, tobacco leaf, dried mint and a hint of tomato. The palate balances red and black fruit with a dry, mineral, lightly smoky finish. There are subtle and pleasing pyrazines in this wine that complement its fruitiness–the gourmet-salsa duo of raspberry and poblano pepper. Persistent, fine tannins are heroically propping up its moderate acidity and body.
The back label of this 2018 bottle says to enjoy it within five years. However, I wouldn’t call this a wine that’s past its best in any way, except for the acidity which may be flagging just a little.
Quibbles? It’s a lot lighter than the nose would suggest. It smells amazing. But the taste and texture are shy and lightweight and perhaps even dilute. I’m extremely biased toward this bottle’s combination of flavors–I know that. But I don’t know that I’d serve it to someone who didn’t share my enthusiasm for the wines of Saint-Julien and Saint-Estèphe.
Two glasses in and still grappling for a metaphor, I finally arrived at one to the relief of my long-suffering dining companion: This wine tastes like the blueprint of a Left Bank Bordeaux. All the parts are identified and planned and mapped into the right places, but it hasn’t actually taken on a solid form.
That being said, it’s a decent value at ~$30 retail (though not an insane steal). It was totally up to the job of washing down my Restaurant Week filet and asparagus.
Bottle: La Croix Bonis Saint-Estèphe (2018)
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (57%), Merlot (43%)
ABV: 13%
Suggested retail: $29
My rating: 7.9 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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