2007 Chateau Sainte Eulalie Plaisir d'Eulalie - reviewed by Kerri

The facts:

2007 Chateau Sainte Eulalie Plaisir d’Eulalie
Region: La Liviniere, France
Variety: 15% Syrah, 45% Grenache, 40% Carignan (this is the blend for the 2003 vintage, according to the winery’s website)
Aging: Stainless steel for 15 to 18 months (again, for the 2003 vintage)



My take:

When we opened the wine fridge to look at our choices for wine tonight, we decided to go with the mystery French. Had no idea what grapes comprised this wine, but decided to take a chance and review it.

The wine looks dark red in the glass, but smells a bit more cherry red. I’d call this one a light bodied wine that is relatively short. It comes across as rather one note to me. It’s drinkable and pleasant enough, but I don’t get any complexity from it.

After letting it breathe a bit, it tastes more purple, but is still light bodied and not complex. Drinking the wine with grilled steak seemed to add some spicyness to the wine and made the finish a bit metallic. I actually didn’t care for it with the steak.

The bottom line for me: this one is a good sipping wine, if you like a light bodied red that is soft on the palate.

Price point: An internet search puts this at around $13 per bottle.

2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon - reviewed by Kerri

The facts:

2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
Region: Morgon, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Variety: 100% Gamay

My take:

It smells rosy before swirling, then… I get that smell that’s not paint thinner, not nail polish remover, not metallic, but burns my nose a bit – plain ole alcohol I guess.

After taking the first sip, I remarked, this is weird.

I let it sit in my mouth, swished it around a bit and got almost nothing until I swallowed. It’s very light – both in taste and feel. It tastes somewhat purpley-pink, maybe light red. It feels light up front with a little more depth in the middle, where you can feel your taste buds perking up (going, what’s this?) and a strange finish that is almost creamy in texture. I’m not sure I’m a fan of that creamy finish. I find myself taking my tongue around my gums to get rid of the creaminess in a way. (Apologies if that’s TMI.)

After swirling and smelling the wine, I expected it to taste a bit harsh and acidic, but I don’t get any of that. I don’t get any of that alcohol-y sense in the taste, only in the smell. I’m having a hard time describing what it is, but I find that I want more, perhaps just in an effort to define it, to nail down its essence, to figure out if I like it or not.

I sipped some more and then started eating dinner – nothing fancy, but something I’m sure lots of people have in their kitchen: chicken nuggets. (Neither one of us felt inclined to cook a full-on dinner tonight and opted to take the easy way out. But that's a different talk show.)

I discovered that I was more interested in the wine when not eating. Once I started eating, the wine became even creamier in texture, which I didn’t care for. That’s a texture I expect in a white wine, not a red, and it’s not one I like in white wines either.

To be fair, I tried a few different things to see if I liked the wine better with something else... manchego cheese, cheddar cheese, wheat thins, kalamata olives.... The only thing that seemed to cut the creaminess were the olives. In fact, the olives actually extended the finish on this wine.

Now, this is 100% gamay and I don’t have much experience drinking gamay. Perhaps this is a great expression of gamay; I couldn’t say. Other write-ups about this wine and the winemakers (Marcel Lapierre and Jules Cauvet) indicate this wine is made from organically grown grapes, using modern techniques, with no additives. Admirable - yes. Did it pan out in this case? For me, no, but only you can say whether or not it works for you.

All in all, it’s not my favorite wine, but it is intriguing. If you’re looking for a light red to sip in the summer, this might just fit the bill, especially if you like creamy textured wines. Personally, I don’t like that texture, but i still find myself going back for another glass and I don’t do that with all wines. (I’ve been known to open a bottle, take a sip, and be perfectly willing to pour the $20 down the drain.)

Price point:

We got this wine through a wine club where we pay a flat fee per month, but a quick internet search revealed bottles available for between $14 and $20.