The 2019 Château Reynaud Lacoste Bordeaux had been hiding on the very bottom of the wine rack like it owed somebody money. I was in the middle of making a giant pot of meat sauce and needed something to keep the chef properly hydrated. I spotted the bottle and thought, “Hmm…2019. That is getting up there in grocery store wine years.” Still, into the glass it went. Sometimes old bottle means forgotten treasure. Sometimes it means expensive vinegar. This is called adventure.
First glass…wow. Delicious. But experienced wine drinker knows better than to trust first glass. First glass has fooled many people before. So I poured second glass for scientific verification. Still great! The wine had a nice balance of oak, fruit, spice, and a respectable amount of puckeryishness. Better yet, it was bolder than many Bordeauxs that seem afraid to offend anyone. This one had confidence without trying too hard. It reminded me that sometimes the French know exactly what they are doing, even if they refuse to explain it on the label.
By the time dinner was ready, the bottle had mysteriously become much lighter. Strange phenomenon that continues to puzzle science. I think this bottle cost $9.99, but the receipt disappeared long ago, probably filed under “things I no longer care about after two glasses of wine.” Seeing the same bottle selling elsewhere for around $23 makes this feel like one of those rare moments when the universe accidentally smiles upon us.
