Chateau De Maison Neuve 2005 Review: A Classic Bordeaux Red Wine

The Bordeaux region of France is one of the world's top producers of red and white wines. Bordeaux is located on the south west side of France tucked between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, the area has been at the center of French wine crafting for centuries. Bordeaux is a big region that is broken up into smaller sub-regions that are further split into local areas.

Montagne-Saint-Emilion sits north and to the right of the Dordogne river in the Right Bank sub-region of Bordeaux, where the climate is a maritime environment and the winters are cold and the summers are cool and the temperatures remain steady throughout the individual seasons. Since the soil is a bit damper and the temperatures are a bit cooler than some of the other Bordeaux areas the types of grapes grown in the region is limited. Merlot is the most extensive grape variety grown in the area along with Cabernet Franc, while Cabernet Sauvignon grapes usually never mature in Montagne-Saint-Emilion region but some vineyards have learned how to cultivate them successfully in the area.

Chateau de Maison Neuve Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2005 is a classic Bordeaux blend featuring Merlot, and is a full bodied wine with a nice deep color, and a fresh berry and almost coffee nose that leads to rich dark stone fruit and berries that is balanced well. Although I find this particular vintage a tad less refined as some other Bordeaux wines from the same region, this is a nice find that has a firm body and strong tannic finish. Starting less than $20 the sheer value of a complex Bordeaux is worth the price alone and this wine should mature nicely over the next five years.

My first tasting of this vintage didn't turn out so well, I believed I had a corked bottle which was served to me at a restaurant. I later had the opportunity of trying it again and the later experience was very pleasant. This wine isn't going to punch you in the face as much as other funkier Bordeaux wines can, but it still managed to satisfy my palette and desire for bold expanding flavors.

Like most Bordeaux red wines, Chateau de Maison Neuve 2005 pairs nicely with red meats and hearty stews and casseroles. The freshness of this wine along with it strong berry flavors also enable this wine to cross over the color platform and pairs well with rich pork and swordfish dishes. A particular favorite is combining this wine with any long roasted pork dishes or barbequed pork.

If you enjoy this vintage I would also suggest tasting the Chateau de Maison Neuve Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2002 and the 2003 vintages. Each has its own characteristics but follow in the same fresh well balanced style of the 2005 vintage, and both are reasonably priced as well.