Reviewed by
Evelyn
September’s My Vitibox arrived a little later than usual, but it was certainly worth the wait! For those who haven’t heard of My Vitibox before, they are a wine subscription box where all of the wines that you’re sent are specially chosen by the famed sommelier Philippe Defleur (former sommelier of La Tour d’Argent and the Élysée Palace). His vast knowledge of wine ensures that every bottle you receive will be of a high standard, and so My Vitibox is a great way to discover (and taste!) new French wines.
Each month, you’ll receive two bottles of wine which are sent in a sturdy ‘shockproof’ box via courier to the UK. Inside, you’ll also find a set of Tasting Notes so that you can learn more about what you’re drinking and truly taste them all like a wine connoisseur!
September’s My Vitibox theme is Let’s Go To Bordeaux, and contained the following wines.
Eperon D’Argent Graves Grand Vin de Bordeaux – J. Lebègue 2016
J. Lebègue is a historic winery that was founded back in 1828 and has been run by generations of the same Lebègue family ever since. They like to combine traditional winemaking methods with new innovations and they launched their very first Bordeaux wine fully fermented in oak barrels, just like they do in the Burgundy region.
Their 2016 wine is created by blending 50% Sauvignon with 50% Semillon grapes which gives the wine an expressive aroma of white fruits and flowers. In the glass, it’s a pale yellow with very faint hints of green when it catches the light. Taste-wise, this semi-sweet white is lively and medium-bodied with a delicious freshness. It’s a lovely wine to enjoy over a light lunch and pairs well with Shrimp dishes, Goat’s Cheese and fresh Fruit Salads – I really enjoyed this one!
Château Croix de Fillol Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux 2014
Moving onto this elegantly packaged red wine, this Château Croix de Fillol comes from a family run vineyard which has been in operation since 1948. The historic land that the grapes grow on was once the scene of the Hundred Year’s War and this region is now one of the most beautiful in terms of diversity to create warm and robust wines.
As Cabernet Franc is not the main grape variety of Bordeaux’s region, this red only contains 10% of them, with the remaining 90% coming from rich Merlot grapes. This gives the wine a stunning shiny ruby red colour and it has a lovely aroma of mixed Fruits and Spices. Merlot is one of my favourite reds, and this one was fresh, dry, medium-bodied and had a pleasantly smooth texture. There are some strong notes of Blackberries, Pepper, Cloves, Tobacco and Prunes, which gives this red some more flavour and distinction from the usual Merlots that I tend to drink. Pairs well with a range of dishes including desserts such as Black Cherry Pie. Delicious!
