Château Moulin de Beauséjour, 2005, Bordeaux Supérieur, 13.5% a.b.v., $6.99: OK, so I went out and got me another Trader Joe special. I've decided I will try at least one or two French wines a month to induce palate recalibration. (I am accepting donations to accelerate my convalescence.) 10 years of living in CA and buying locally may have skewed my palate ... if I have one.
I drank this wine over two nights. On the first night, it accompanied a lovely hunk of top sirloin. On the second night, it accompanied the clamor of our Wednesday night WLDG wine chat session.
The wine itself has a polished red color with some orange tints towards its clear edge. On first opening, my nose was met with a very strong scent of candied cherries which really appealed. The second night, well, it smelled like wine, perhaps a little vanilla-y. The palate was restrained which may just be my mouth's being accustomed to CA blockbusters. I did not get a lot of fruit. The finish was mid-length and a touch ... I want to say bitter, but it wasn't quite.
It might interest that the wine was made 100% of Merlot and was aged in vats. Please correct me, but that means some kind of large vessel as in bulk preparation? Maybe it didn't see a lot of oak which one noted.
It was good with dinner and company, but not distinctive. The body was very, very light. I think I've had better Merlots. I probably would not buy this one again.
-with three of four Saint Emillions. The Clos Badon Thunevin, while dismissed as New World in style by some writers, isn't New World in style at all to me (it has the slightly bitter finish you mentioned) I like it!