The 2022 Chateau Vieux Landat deserves credit before I even pull the cork. The back label contains…facts. Just facts. No tale of passionate winemakers chasing sunsets through vineyards. No lecture about finding your authentic self. Simply information about the wine. It is almost suspiciously practical. Whoever wrote this label must have had train to catch.
Now, I wish I could tell you all about the first glass, but by the time I reached the second, I had completely forgotten what the first one tasted like. Fortunately, the second glass was very good, so I decided the first probably was too. This wine lives comfortably in the middle of the road for body and jammy fruit, but it is noticeably dry—even by French standards. The finish brings a nice little kick of spice that hangs around just long enough to remind you that Bordeaux can still have personality without shouting.
Dinner was what scientists refer to as mystery meat tacos. The exact contents remain classified, possibly cow, deer or goat, but the wine never asked awkward questions. By the end of the meal, the tacos and the Bordeaux had become surprisingly good friends, proving once again that good wine is more interested in cooperation than showing off. At $12.99, this is not bargain-bin territory, but genius money manager (me) found during 25% off wine sale, which means more money to buy mystery meats.
