We're here today to talk about one of the most fun, prestigious, and sometimes most expensive regions in the wine world, and that is Bordeaux. Why don't you give us a little glimpse into your thoughts on Bordeaux in general, and what makes it so special? Bordeaux special, well, Bordeaux is special. To me, it's the center of the wine world. If you, as a wine person, understand Bordeaux and get Bordeaux, it makes everything easier in the entire wine world. So you've got the major varietals, your Cabernet, your Merlot, your Sauvignon Blanc, that really originated here, are done best here, but are translated everywhere else in the world. This is the origin of those varietals. And to me, again, if you get Bordeaux, you get wine. Welcome back to another episode of Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast. I'm Barb, I work in wine events and marketing. I'm Jim, I'm the engineer of this podcast, and I am hopping on mic today, and I don't know what I'm talking about with regards to wine. Welcome. Which is perfect, because plenty of people don't. Myself included. My name is Roger, and I do beer marketing and education. And with us today is a very special guest. First time ever, Doug Jeffirs, director of wine sales for Binny's. Wow, that sounds fancy. What do you do, Doug? I oversee sales and merchandising and education. And I am currently an advisor to the event program. This is like getting a glimpse of Oz behind the curtain. It is the two behind the curtain wine people in the Binny's organization. Nobody really knows what we do. We like to just make it up every day. Also bringing a little bit of experience. How long have you been with Binny's Jeffirs? There's a lot of Dougs around here, so I have to resist from calling you Jeffirs. I like it. Binny's for 25 years and 30 plus years with wine industry. awesome. Thanks for joining us. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, we brought you in here today, Doug, to lend your expertise and experience with this region in particular. You've been there a couple of times and I know it's one of your favorites to taste and talk about. You have any great experiences with certain people there that are highlights? I've been probably half a dozen times. We tend to visit a lot of the same producers because they are the the grand crew producers of the Left Bank, so the top 62 Chateaus in Bordeaux and they are family-run, family-owned estates, so you make some relationships that way. They come to Chicago every year too, so it's fun to see them in both our hometowns. It does become like a really big French second family. So as somebody that doesn't have as much experience with wine, I feel like Bordeaux can seem a little overwhelming, or because a lot of the venerated wines come from here, there's probably some misconceptions surrounding that region. The biggest one is that Bordeaux is expensive. It doesn't have to be, but Bordeaux, like all European or old world wines, they list the name of the place on the label, not the varietal, so you're going to see Chateau Sauvier on the label. You're not going to see Bordeaux, you're not going to see Cabernet, or you're not going to see Merlot on the label necessarily. I would say it's not uncommon to have people just say they want a Bordeaux. Like I want a nice Bordeaux, and as a wine associate or someone helping a customer with wine, that's probably needs a follow-up question, right? Like what type of Bordeaux do you want? Yeah, generally. So if you want red Bordeaux, it's as simple as it's Cabernet and it's Merlot, and it's a blend of both, and there's some accessory grapes that go along with it, but primarily it's Cabernet and Merlot. Even at their simplest, these are red table wines. I talk a lot about the gigantic California red blend aisle in all of our stores, but when you really drill it down, the wines that we're tasting today and we're going to talk about for the most part, are red wines, red blends, which is the hottest category in the market right now. Unfortunately, the ones from Bordeaux don't get enough attention, especially in that more entry level or reasonable price point. So most specifically, that's what we're going to talk about today. yes, Bordeaux has tons of history and prestige. The families there are multiple generations in owning the land, making the wines, but today we're going to talk about a few regions that provide a little more value and a little more accessibility, meaning you can drink them right away. these are going to be more everyday choices that we wanted to highlight. All the regions of the right bank, what they call, are more Merlot, and so they're fleshier and softer, rounder, easier to drink, great entry-level wines, and that's what we'll see here today. Yeah. Most of the ones I selected are primarily Merlot for that reason because it does have more lush fruit. Yeah. So suck on that Paul's Yamati. We're drinking Merlot today. That's right. It's all Merlot. Absolutely. All day. The first bottle I passed around is called Chateau La Platus. This is Bordeaux region, 2016. You can find it on a Binny's shelf for $9.99. What do you guys think? I think this is what we're talking about. We're talking about entry-level Bordeaux. It's fresh, it's fruity, it's easy to drink. It would be good with food, especially. This definitely is something that I feel like is approachable. But certainly there is tannic structure there. And an interesting note on this one, especially at this $10 price point, this does include Cabernet Franc and Malbec, which are two of the accessory grapes that Doug alluded to. Typically, for under $20 in the Bordeaux Isle, you're finding Merlot and Cabernet, sometimes a little bit of Cabernet Franc sprinkled in. But to include four varietals in something not so reasonably priced is a rarity. And I think it speaks to the complexity of this little jobby. What's the oak treatment like on these wines typically? So Bordeaux, if it's a standard Bordeaux, I don't think there's any aging treatment required for the Appalachian. So once you move into Bordeaux Superior, is one year of aging 12 months, whether it's a barrel or stainless steel. No requirements for standard Bordeaux, but generally they will give it several months of barrel aging. Yeah, because it seems like in the back of this, there's a bit of a spirited character that I like. As a whiskey drinker, it's sometimes fun to notice some of the similarities between. Same notes, yeah. I would encourage anybody to seek out a wine like this, an entry-level Bordeaux. If you're a red wine drinker, I think as our palates evolve, we often tend to start off with sweeter, richer, heavier things. A lot of people, entry-level would be apothic or menage-a-trois or something like that, but those get kind of cloying after a while. They're too sweet, too much residual sugar in it. Something like this is lighter, a little bit lower alcohol, more food-friendly, I think is a winner all around. That's a really awesome price point too. To be able to go toss out a couple of bottles of Bordeaux for 10 bucks. Yeah. One of my favorite things to do is to take people into the Bordeaux Isle who don't even know that's what they want. All you have to do is explain to them as we just did, this is Cabernet, this is Merlot, because they'll come up and just ask for a good bottle of red wine for 10 bucks, and it's not usually on somebody's radar. It's fun to see the light go on when you try these for the first time. 2016, vintage dated. It's a very good vintage. I was waiting for that earlier, Raj. The French. The second bottle is, as Doug eluded, a Bordeaux Superior, which means it's Bordeaux better, right? Better Bordeaux, yeah. What does it actually mean, Doug? It comes with its own whole set of regulations for what will qualify as a Bordeaux Superior. So I think it's generally a riper wine. It has to have a little bit higher alcohol. I think the low standard is 10.5 for Bordeaux Superior, where it's maybe 9.5 or 10% alcohol for Bordeaux, but that's a little dated because of the climate now. Everything gets riper than that, but it also must require lower yields, generally denser planting in the vineyards or better sites and a little bit more age on the vine. So like you said, in general, it's better Bordeaux. Some of these Bordeaux plots are amazingly tiny, correct? They can be. Yeah, it depends. I mean, there's probably 7,500 producers in Bordeaux. So it's one of the bigger regions, but that's a lot of producers. What do you think, Jim? tastes like red fruit. I thought you were going to say it tastes like red wine. I mean, it does, but I mean, that's one of my thing with like I can't differentiate. I know that it smells like a red fruit, a berry. It takes a lot of time. Probably raspberry. There's a big difference between black fruit and red fruit. So to hone in even that much is a great start. It seems drier than the first one, right? A little drier, yeah. Some plums, some dried cherry. A note that I get in this one that I love to get in wine. It's fairly subtle, but it's going to sound weird, but it's shoe polish. I get this neat little note of shoe polish, which just adds a cool complexity to it. Did you or did you not polish your shoes this morning? That might be it, never mind. Put it on your hands still. Are you sure you're not just thinking of leather? Leather might be the better way to spin that. Leather is generally in that too, yeah. Is that a shoe polish? It's a little different. It is different. Doug, we're trying to get people to make to like, never mind. You've never tasted shoe polish? No, it's just in the nose. It's a note in the nose. It smells like shoe polish. I'm not even supposed to be here today. This Bordeaux Superior is Chateau Sebi. Again, 2016 and an anomaly in the usual rule of wine labeling in Bordeaux. This one does say Merlot on the front label. We think that's something that is a new innovation in France and Spain in particular, where it just makes things a little bit easier to discern when you're looking at a label. In the back, it also says 100% Merlot. gives Merlot some of the cache back. But generally, if it says it on the label in Europe, it's 85% has to be in the bottle, but this being 100% I think makes it a little more comfortable for the American consumer. does not taste like any Merlot from California, does it? No, this is one that would surprise a lot of people that think they know Merlot for that big, ripe, rich, flamboyant, vanilla oak note especially. But the fruit is there, but it's all in balance, I think. Surprising note here is this is 10.99. For 100% Merlot from Bordeaux, that is a steel. I like it a lot. It has a lot of structure. I want to put a steak in my mouth with it for sure. I was going to say, it wants some juicy. It almost sounds like cliche, but there's a reason why it's so popular. This would stand up perfectly to a nice ribeye. A lot of viscosity in the glass. What is the alcohol on it? does it say? It is 14%. That's pretty hefty, but that's what happens nowadays in Bordeaux. You get, especially Merlot, can get really ripe. It's a concern for them. Our first two, 9.99, 10.99. Do you guys have a favorite of the two? This, I think I'd prefer this served with a meal. The other probably on its own. Yeah, the cheaper one. Way to go, Jim. I think I like the second. The one that's a buck less. Jim's a cheap date. I like the second one, actually better, I think. The finish is still there too. I mean, it's really lingering. More complexity here. It's nice quality. I think you get a taste of what some really top-notch Bordeaux could be in this. You just don't have that flesh and that weight, but it's very easy drinking. Just to talk for a second about both of those being from 2016, we speak a lot of vintage when we talk about prestigious regions. What makes a good vintage in Bordeaux, Doug? Well, it's really about the climate, the weather conditions for that year. This is a 15, which was a very warm vintage and a very even and consistent vintage, which is what they like. It makes for a very consistent flowering and fruit set. Then when you get no rain at the harvest, it makes really nice concentration too. Just the consistency of the weather across the season is what's important. 16, a little less consistent, but still had really good finish to it, so it had nice acidity. They call those kind of charming wines, fresh and charming wines, but two good vintages, very different characteristics, different styles. I think on another podcast in the future, we'll discuss 2016 in more detail and talk about some of the other more prestigious regions and what made the vintage so special there and how the wines are showing now. You're going to find a lot of those on our shelves. Currently, if you're listening in January of 2020. yes, I believe the Whiskey Hotline's own Pat Brophy called them Bangin. They are Bangin Bordeaux. So we'll do Bangin Bordeaux of 2016 in a few months maybe. Holler. This is Chateau Montlandry, again, in 2015. And this comes from some great pedigree. Many producers in Bordeaux have a top-tier wine that comes from the most prestigious region, and then two or three or four kind of second wines or third wine. Whose is this? This is? This is L'Eglise Clenet, I think. Oh, really? So that's a Pomarello estate that's known for starting their wines at probably $120 a bottle. And Castillon is one of my favorite regions. It's called a satellite region. It's right off the main regions that Barbara's talking about. But for that reason, you get very similar terroir, similar climate soils, conditions. You also get a much lower price tag because it's not a prestigious region like the others. Oh, so would you describe this nose as rustic? I feel like I... It sounds like you would. My sour and wild beer background, I feel like I'm getting a little bit of... You get like a sour note? Not sour, like funk. There's definitely a little earthiness to it for me. I get a lot of like ripe plum and some dark berries. A note you'll often see, I think applies to this one too, is forest floor or dry tobacco leaf. It's very subtle in here. Some wines can be very pronounced, but when it is on the light side with those notes, it's a really nice complexity. Yeah, sometimes this note comes across as sort of like a wet mulch for me, but like in a good way, like under a tree right after an afternoon rain sort of. I think you're going to say after you've had a bottle, you just sort of lay down for a little bit. Just have a nice nap. It does have a little funk to it. First bar bed. She's under the tree. You know what? I want you to keep that forever now. There's a lot of licorice on this too, yeah? Again, very whiskey-like with some of the same similar flavors that like star anise, clove, a lot of things I associate with like heavy oak aging. I think that's a little bit of both here with oak aging and a varietal characteristic. This is again predominantly Merlot from Castillon, which is another value region on the right bank, meaning the right side of the river as you're looking north. Castillon is right outside of Pomerol and St. Emilia which are the two headliner regions on the right bank that lead with Merlot. There's a lot of complexity in this wine of the three we've tried, and the acidity seems a little heftier, yeah? Yeah. There is freshness to this that's actually pretty surprising for 2015. I think if I weren't in the know, I may think this was a 16 because it does have that really lovely lift on the finish. But this is showing really well. It seems like this is probably at least as high alcohol as the last. It should be. If it's 15, it's even a little bit warmer vintage. You get a little riper wines resulting in more alcohol. This one's 14 and a half. There you go. That's pretty hefty for Bordeaux. A little afterglow. Yeah. So what do you think? What do you think, Jim? I see your glass is empty. Is it going more and more up in the tannic scale as we go along? I think it's gone in that order. What was the price point in this? That one is $32.99. So I wanted to show wine specifically in the value category, and $32.99 isn't everybody's everyday price, but I think it showcases a special region, one of the satellites versus the first wine that this family makes, as Doug said, is $125, $130. So for something to taste this good at this stage in its life, at $32.99 is special. I think this would be a neat one too, if you have the means to buy half a dozen and just tuck them away, because this wine is only going to get better and more complex over the next several years. Yeah. Castillon, I agree, is my favorite to do something like that with. There's a few other producers that we carry from this region. Cap de Faugere is another one that I buy frequently. Again, as Doug said, four to six bottles when I can and have one immediately and tuck one away for a year and see what happens six, seven years later. Really great value category. Especially for a collector. The last red I'm going to pass around now is another really good region for value within Bordeaux, and that is Omadoc. This producer is Chateau lanneson, and probably the most reputable, dependable label from that region. Sells on our shelves for $21.99. And this is back to the 2016. Generally one of the real bargains in Bordeaux. This guy is right outside the classified gross, so he's got neighbors that sell for five times the price. I think he's direct neighbors with Gouraud-le-Rose, which is in St. Julian commune, but this guy is Omadoc, so he's just outside of that. But they're really close neighbors, and Gouraud-le-Rose is the second growth, which means it's the second tier right underneath the very top of, you know, Lafitte and Latour and Aubrayonne. We'll taste all those on the next Bordeaux podcast. I'll be there for that. That's coming out of your allowance. This is my favorite nose so far. Yeah, what do you like about it? It's awesome. Probably because it's the most fruit forward, like blackberry for sure. It's a little perfumey, this one too, that kind of violet flower. Yeah. You get more of that. It's classy. Yeah, it's very nice. I'm just reading on here that, and you mentioned on the last wine about cellaring, and it says will age beautifully for over 10 to 15 years. Nice. Let's say you don't have the fortune of having a beautiful wine cellar in your home. Do you have any tips about just, if someone wants to hold on to a few of these more moderately priced yet cellarable wines, if they're not keeping them for, let's say, years upon years, do they need to be laid on their side? Can you age them standing up? I would keep them on their side, but especially here in Illinois, a basement of somebody's house is perfect. It's the right temperature. It's what they call cellar temperature. You get the right humidity. You just don't want it underneath stairs where it's going to get jostled. You want to do keep it laying down because it will keep the wine in contact with the cork keeping it moist so it won't dry out in a darker place. It's great. You could see how wines evolve. They are living, breathing things. They're a perishable product and it's neat to see how they evolve. It's part of what's special about wine. I think that's cool because I think there's a misconception that cellarable wines are in a much higher price point. I like to hear that this is cellarable and it's 20, 20 some dollars or whatever. That can be a fun experiment. It doesn't have to be a huge investment because it might be a little bit out of people's means to be throwing down $100 on something and then being a roll of the dice. Right. That is scary. That is intimidating when you've got some special bottle for a special occasion, and you're holding it and holding it because somebody who writes for a magazine told you to. To find out that you waited too long is an extreme disappointment. There are worse tragedies in the world, but I've encountered that enough times. So people who want to lay down wine and want to have this experience should do it, but proceed with caution. Like I always say, aged wine isn't for everyone. The flavors do develop, but everything changes. So if you can afford four bottles, six bottles of something, you want to get it to its sweet spot for you, for your palate. Sweet spot doesn't always mean a long time either. You can take a lot of Australian Shiraz and lay it down for six months. It changes considerably and really comes together and smooths out and becomes more complex. It's a neat thing to see. I'd say the same is true for a lot of Chardonnay. It's short-term, sellable just because everything integrates a little bit over time. There's some relatively affordable little wine fridges nowadays too. If you do live in a smaller apartment or a condo or somewhere you don't have a basement, there is some relatively affordable options if you wanted to do. You can set those things to essentially more of a seller temp. Yeah, absolutely. A lot of them come dual zone too, so you could keep whites a little bit colder than your reds. Yeah, I think the most common exercise with that is folks who buy something that's their anniversary year or a child's birth year. If you are going to invest in a few even special bottles of wine and tend to hold them for maybe 20 years, even a small wine fridge is a great investment. I have a passive seller as Doug described. It's in my basement in the middle of nowhere, Chicagoland, so it's nearly perfect. It doesn't have the humidity I want, but I have a 12 bottle fridge for a handful of special things that I'm keeping for a long time. We've done a lot of talking about red blends, Cabernet, Merlot. We're gonna switch over now to what I think is one of the best values in white wine in the Binny's stores, and that is Chateau du Cost. This is a white Bordeaux blend, and that means Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. This one in particular is mostly Sauvignon Blanc, and for those that know New Zealand or California, or maybe even know Sancerre or La Valle Sauvignon Blanc, this is traditionally French style, so more minerality, a lot cleaner, crisper. You're not getting a ton of the tropical fruit weight and ripeness that you got from New Zealand. I like that tropical stuff though. You are that tropical stuff. What a great nose. This is terrific. So pretty. So talking about reasonably priced bottles in the Bordeaux isles, this one has to be mentioned. And again, I think this is one of our best Sauvignon Blancs worldwide. And you find it on the shelf for $14.99 and frequently even on sale for less than that. That's a lot of lemon, definitely some grassy, right? I think especially people like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, this is a nice thing to come off a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which can be just too explosive, too blousy, too... some can even be sweet. So this is toned down. This is a little more classy. I think this is a nice evolution for somebody who likes that kind of wine. This is really nice. I'm going to be the uncouth one here and say that it reminds me it smells like bubblegum. Really? That's not a bad thing, right? Maybe a little jackfruit, Raj? Oh no, you did it. Juicy fruit. It's got a little juicy fruit. It sure does. It reminds me of how hops sometimes have a bubblegummy kind of... There are certain hops that have that. I don't know. That's what I'm getting. But also pear. On the nose, at least. Yeah. I like that pear, a lot of stone fruit. I'll give you juicy fruit. Now that you say it. Definitely. It may just be my brain suggesting it, but... Yeah, there is a little bit of a candied element here. It doesn't make the wine sweet, but it does overall make the nose especially very appealing. So we had this wine in Bordeaux this year. And the producer brought out a gigantic platter stacked at least a foot high with oysters. And I saw one of my colleagues, I'm sure, eat three dozen. Once I said it was so good though. It's a great pairing. I could see this pairing well with a lot of things. It has, like you were saying, the tropicalness is there, but not as over the top. Because I do like some of those New Zealand ones that are super tropical. I think it's just, must be my beer background or every beer is tropical nowadays. This would go really nice with like fruit and cheese. Yeah, simple like that. Absolutely. I just had a white Bordeaux with ceviche too. It was really good. Nice. So fresh seafood, a little bit of red bell pepper and some herb in there that just picked up on the wine, the citrusy notes to it. Really good. I think it's delicious. Cool. Once again, that's Chateau de costes, 1499. Basically French Sauvignon Blanc. Nothing to be scared of here, friends. We wouldn't be doing Bordeaux justice if I didn't bring around some sauternes. Oh, nice. Wow. sauternes is arguably the most famous dessert wine region in the world, possibly second to the fortified wines of Portugal. But this is very late harvested grapes that have gone through, what's actually a disgusting scientific process of concentration. You want to talk about Botrytis, Doug? Yeah. It's a mold, it's a fungus that attacks the bunch of grapes. It's called Botrytis cinerea. What it does is starts to eat at the skins just enough to perforate them so that the water comes out of the skins can escape. Then it just concentrates everything, the phenolics, the flavors, the sugars, the acids. What you're left with is this disgusting little bunch of grapes that to look at it, you would say, I'm never touching. I'm not even going to touch that, but it makes the most delicious wine. Some of the top producers in Saltern with their extreme selection and the way the yield is reduced so much by that dehydration, they say it takes an entire vine full of bunches to make one glass of this wine. Wow. It's the longest lived of any non-fortified wine. We used to have a customer when I was wine manager in Displains who collected Chateau de Chim. The most famous Saltern there is, that's all he collected. He collected every vintage he could ever find. He invited us over for his annual Christmas party where he said he was going to open up all these vintages. Of course, we're working. It's Christmas at Binny's, so we couldn't go. The next day he brought in, I think it was seven or eight bottles of Chateau de Chim. The oldest one was 1895. It was just fantastic. So good. What a treat. The oldest bottle of wine I've ever tasted was a Yacum. Was it? What gives it the longevity to last 100 years? I mean, it's acid and sugar. That doesn't hurt. Those are two biggies that do it. Yeah. Red wines, it's tannin, and white wines, it's acid generally, but the sugar helps the longevity as well. That smells so pretty. There is so much going on in the flavor of this. It's crazy. A lot of dried apricot, and there's this honey note, but there's something that's almost like a green tea. I can't quite describe. There's an apple note to it. What do you smells, Jim? I don't even know. Juicy fruit. Yeah, juicy fruit. Jackfruit. I get a little funkiness. Is there funkiness? It's going to be because of the mold, there's going to be a little funkiness. That's the trademark of botrytis. So if you put a glass of a different styled late harvest wine without the mold, and smelled that and then smelled this. For example, if you took ice wine, smelled that and then smelled this, that funkiness is the hallmark of souterne and of wines from botrytis. Yeah. There's a little bit of a solventy character on the nose. That's a thing, right? Like rubber cement. I've got this on cherries before as well. Yeah, I think that's part of just the aging. This is 2006, I think, which is going to bring out some complexities that get that too. It definitely reminds me of the last few episodes. We've tried different things like port and Madeira, and those are higher in alcohol, right? Those are going to be like in the 29, 30. Those are 20s. So this is 14. Yeah, this isn't fortified the way those would be. But it reminds me, at least personally, of some of the similar flavors of those. Yeah, especially the drier style Madeira, probably. Yeah, the mixtures of sweetness and acidity here is interesting. Because at the beginning, it seems like it's going to be really sweet, and then there's enough acidity to back it up. Then it doesn't come across as syrupy or glowing, right? You want to keep drinking it, you want to drink more. That's the best thing about these is the impeccable balance of them. This one is the second label of Sudereau, which is one of our most famous Southern producers. And yeah, as Doug mentioned, this is 2006, and still pretty plentifully available on Binny's shelves. So it's in terms of value, outstanding for something that has that much bottle age. It comes in a 375 milliliter bottle and costs only $13.99. The dessert lines go- Yeah, this is one you have to pick up. I have tasted it a couple of times in different classes and tastings. I purchased one for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a wonderful accompaniment to dessert. But every time I go back to it, it's so wonderful. I've had sauternes much more expensive than this. Oh, for sure. I haven't liked as much as this. oftentimes, with the less expensive sauternes, you won't get that botrytis note, that real honeyed, rich, slightly funky. But this has got it for the price, it's incredible. Barb, what's the best pairing you've had with sauternes? Have you had a favorite? I mean, the textbook will say the best pairing is foie gras, which I have had and it is very, very interesting. So we're talking savory and sweet, arguably the most savory thing there is on the planet. Foie gras doesn't really do it for me, but I actually really enjoy it just paired with dried apricots or figs. I think that fruitiness comes out a little bit more. What do you think? A steak, definitely steak. The best was foie gras for me. Of course, it was in Bordeaux, but it was one of those pairings that you'd never forget. It's just coated your mouth and just kept bouncing. The flavors kept bouncing between the wine and the foie gras and just went on forever. One of those things everybody should try once. It can be that good. It's just like the seared piece, right? Yeah, just very plain. There's so much you can do with a little bit of souterne too in terms of cooking. I've done reductions with it for drizzling over baked fruit or poached pear for sure. The other thing I've done with it before is do a fruit maceration, just a soak. So I've actually rehydrated dried apricots in souterne and then you can pair it with the wine. Now, I wouldn't do that with yacqueme, I don't think. But something around this price point, it's just such a special treat. We used to do something just like that in high school with the cherries and everclear. Like vodka soaked gummy bears, you like that? Kind of like that, just a little classier. Just grown up. Yeah. Yeah, I feel like this would be if you need an excuse to start playing around with wine and cheese pairings, like blue cheese, I would want to try with this, like a nice Roquefort or a Triple Brie St. André. Who could not like that? Yeah. Yeah. Humboldt Fogg from cypress Grow Creamery. It goes really well with this too. It's another kind of funky veined cheese. So that's the Bordeaux Roundup. This is a very, very broad overview of what's one of the most special regions in the world for wine enthusiasts. I don't feel we did it entirely. It's due justice, but this is a great introduction in terms of what you can find on our shelves at very reasonable price points and delicious right out of the gate. A couple of them are definitely things you can tuck away for a little bit. But Bordeaux is a region that anybody who works in our stores gets excited about. So please engage your local wine consultants and ask them what their favorites are. Bordeaux on a budget, baby. Who would have thought? You can do it. these are all real wines. They're real wines with real families behind them. You don't get the like you do in a lot of new world places, because the made up, you know, it wasn't a wine yesterday and today it is. Made up labels with sourced juice. This is the real deal. So, Raj and Jim, I hope that helped clear up some of the misconceptions you might have had or some of the confusion you had about this region. I loved the idea you proposed, Roger, to talk about demystifying Bordeaux and finding bottles on a budget. does that answer some of your questions? Yeah, because I've always felt that the misconception is that Bordeaux is all expensive and that, to put it politely, that a lot of them are challenging, which is a way that a lot of people say like, I don't like this wine at all, but I'm supposed to. But there are lots of Bordeaux that are obviously delicious and that are coming all shapes and sizes as far as price points. Thanks for choosing these. Thanks for joining us. Not a bad one in the bunch. No, they were all really good today. Next time, we will definitely drill down and talk about some of the Grand Cru regions and labels. So much to explore there really though. This is just scratching the surface. I mean, this is how you got to approach something like this, because wine in general, I think, can just seem way too overwhelming for people, and it's just one little piece at a time. You don't need to feel like you completely... There's too much to learn. You just need to approach it in little snippets like this. I'm lucky for you, Doug and I specialize in being underwhelming. So I hope we did that. So if you're enjoying what you're listening to, please encourage a friend to listen to Barrel to Bottle, download our podcast. It's available everywhere that you download your podcast. Check out Google Podcasts, itunes, etc. Write us a review. Yeah, let us know how we're doing. And feel free to reach out on social media or email us at comments at binnys.com. We're always looking for new ideas and content and feedback on the podcast and everything else at Binny's. At Binny's Bev, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, all the good stuff. pinterest. Wherever the kids are going these days. We're going to TikTok. Oh yeah. Find us on TikTok. We're not on TikTok. No. Doug, do you know what TikTok is? I do. Do you have an account? You haven't seen my moves on TikTok? No? Gross. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast. We look forward to talking to you again next week. Until then, I'm Barb. I'm Roger. I'm Jim. And I'm Doug. Keep tasting.