A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Potentially Heart-Healthy Madiran
South-western France is an up and coming wine region. There are about 10 million bottles of Madiran AOC produced in an area of about 3200 acres (1300 hectares) facing the Pyrenees mountains. This particular wine comes from the southernmost part of the region and is made from 50% Tannat and 50% Cabernet Franc grapes. You may guess from its name that the Tannat grape variety is highly tannic. Roger Corder in his well-known book, "The Wine Diet" published in 2007 devotes 3 pages to one wine and that wine is Madiran. He did not refer to this particular producer. Corder talks about the technique of micro-oxygenation which is used to reduce the ferocity of the tannins without lowering the levels of some chemicals alleged to be good for the heart when wine is consumed in moderation.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed Chateau Peyros Magenta Madiran 2006 13.8% alcohol about $10. Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : A blend of the local Tannat and the worldly Cabernet Franc grapes, Chateau Peyros's Madiran is remarkably soft and round, considering Tannat's robust nature. Filled with sweet cherry, raspberry and plum, this dry, fruity, balanced wine is showing nicely right now. An elegant wine that deserves an elegant cut of grilled-rare beef or lamb. (VINTAGES panel, July 2009). And now for my review.
At the first sips the wine was powerful with strong tannins. But the tannins were not unpleasant tannins, probably because of the wine's acidity. The first meal involved London Broil meat, potato patties, and green beans all slow cooked together. The Madiran was plummy and grapey, and now the acidity was somewhat harsh and on the edge. With a canned corn, chickpea, pimento, and sliced palm heart salad the wine was thinner and the tannins were almost gone.
The next meal consisted of broiled merguez, a spicy, fatty North African lamb sausage, potato patties, and a salsa-salad. With the meat the wine was strongly but not excessively acidic. It was round and refreshing. The potato patties reduced the Madiran's acidity but increased its fruit. When I added Louisiana cayenne pepper sauce to the meat (I like spicy but am no fanatic) the wine lost some power. With the salad the wine was quite long and refreshing.
My final meal involved slow cooked beef ribs accompanied by potatoes roasted in chicken fat. The wine displayed a good balance between acidity and tannins. It presented sweet dark cherries and some tobacco. The wine handled well the potato's grease and I tasted plums. With a Turkish salad composed of sweet pimentos, tomato paste, hot peppers (very little) and garlic the Madiran lost some of its fruit.
Prior to the traditional two cheeses I enjoyed some Matjes herring. The wine was round with some oak. It wasn't bad. When paired with a Swiss cheese, it tasted of dark cherries and some oak. Then I tried a goat's milk cheese that was made with roasted garlic. The wine was round and barely acidic, tasting of sweet cherries.
Final verdict. This wine was nothing special unless you go for the health claims. Since I had to pay more than $10 I don't think I would go for it again. I was surprised to see a Madiran for $60 that was rated at 93 by Wine Spectator. Even though I am now reviewing wines in that price range I have no plans to buy such a Madiran.
About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but frankly prefers drinking fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.
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