A Bordeaux for the Common Man?

Augey channels a long forgotten species: easy drinking, affordable Bordeaux.

Augey Bordeaux 2014 $13.30Let’s start with the name.It’s not Chateau Augey (which is actually already the name of a decent Sauternes), it’s not Domaine Augey, it’s just plain old Augey. No BS. And that’s telling because this is a wine is that rare throwback of an era where Bordeaux was not the rarified trophy wine it’s become today but simply a everyday wine from one of France’s biggest wine producing regions. It’s a type of wine that still is very common in France—a low alcohol, uncomplicated wine that’s perfect for a Wednesday. Over here we’ve grown accustomed to casual wines to being from either Argentina, Chile, South Africa or Australia and while all those regions have something to recommend them—some have more supple fruit, some have higher alcohol—you’d never mistake any of them for an old world wine. Not so this wine.For starters it’s only 12%, which is very low for an every day wines that often can use a swack of booze to help cover up a wines flaws. Secondly it’s got a nice acid point, by which I mean the fruit—mostly tart cherries and plum flavours—is held in check such that the wine has enough balance to go with food. It’s mostly merlot (75%), a smart choice for budget bordeaux, but it’s rounded out with Cabernet Sauvignon, which adds some decent structure. It all adds up to a wine that’s relentlessly pleasant , a house wine for your actual house.