Bargain Bordeaux: Légende by Rothschild

Ok, so here’s the point: Not everyone can afford First Growth Bordeaux. Well, even Second Growth is pretty pricy. So for those of us who would like to drink Bordeaux without carving up our savings account, there is a light at the end of the wine tunnel. With all that in mind, may I present the 2014 Légende Bordeaux Rouge. Let me be honest, this is not some stellar wine you’ll embrace by buying dozens of cases, but it is a solid example of a reasonably priced wine that is enjoyable - an “everyday drinker” as we like to call it. Sound good? 60% Cabernet, 40% Merlot, it provides muted black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry and sweet cedar notes and combines that with a pretty good acidity to make a wine that is fairly complex and enjoyable to drink. Oh, and it picked up a Silver Medal at the Decanter Wine Awards, if that matters to you. Since it’s part of the Lafite Rothschild group, you already know you’ll be getting a better than average wine, at a better price for a better jolly good time with your meal.  LAFITE

ORIGIN: Bordeaux, France

PRICE:  $17.99, 750/ML

ALCOHOL: 12.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  88 POINTS

A Rosé for Rossellini: The Wine of Cannes

Eva Longoria at Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most star studded and glamorous events on Planet Earth. And sure, it’s about the movies but it’s also about fashion, food, wine, and being seen. Though I cover wines and spirits for The Hollywood Reporter, I’ve not been invited to Cannes so I am one of the many unseen. Yet you and I can still participate in Cannes, to a small degree, by having one of the wines that are poured at the festival. Mouton Cadet is one of France’s most successful wine brands and they set up their Mouton Cadet Wine Bar overlooking Cannes and the glimmering water of the Bay. 

One of the wines poured is their 2014 Limited Edition Rosé made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s light enough to say summer, but it has a bit of heft, with quiet raspberry and cherry, a hint of lemon-lime, a mild acidity, and it’s immensely drinkable. So you’ve got a lovely little wine for around 13 bucks. That the movie stars are drinking this wine including Eva Longoria, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell, Isabella Rossellini, John C. Reilly, Josh Brolin, Ben Wishaw and others bodes well for us mere mortals who can nonetheless drink like the stars with a cost that is firmly planted on the ground. Okay, so we’re not having cocktails with Cate, appetizers with Eva and joking around with Josh, but wherever you go in life, if you’re blessed with good wine and good company that can always make you feel like a star. www.moutoncadet.com

Cate Blanchett