WTN: Fowl play - this Médoc was not ideal

Having said that that Médoc should be excellent with a simple chicken dish, let me start here with a mini-rant about one which was not ideal, albeit a good wine in its style. Increasingly Merlot seems to have become the dominant variety in most of the Médoc outside the top growths in, say, Pauillac, St.Julien and Margaux, in spite of the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon is ripening much more consistently now compared with 30+ years ago. In many cases the wines maintain enough characteristic Médoc minerality but this one, together with several others which I have had recently, does not. I find it sad that the place character is being diluted in this way and it makes pairings more difficult without previous experience of the estate in question. Does this help them to sell their wines?


2016 Château Pey de Pont - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (07/11/2025)
This is an unfamiliar estate and I selected for trial on the strength of a critics' sticker. I usually find a nicely mineral Médoc a good pairing for a simple chicken dish (coquelet = male spring chicken) but, on this occasion, I should have read the informative back label before choosing it. Varietal composition is given as Merlot 57%, CabSauv 36%, CabFranc 4% & PV 3% and an unusually accurate TN describes a more rich and right bank style than I would normally expect from a simple Médoc. Body was medium/full, texture was quite suave and there were aromas of ripe dark fruit, especially blackberry and blackcurrant, hints of spice, coffee and even jam but these were saved from cloying by discreet balancing acidity and ripe tannins on a sufficiently long finish. This tended to dominate the delicate but perhaps too dry flesh of the spring chicken. So good wine and worth repurchase at c.€10 but not so good pairing.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

Can’t really speak to the sales opportunities for Merlot dominated Medoc wines, but in general some notable richness still appeals to many drinkers.

I cannot speak to the changing tastes of the French public, Tim, but American palates have grown accustomed to riper, more fleshy red wines and are uncomfortable with more structured and stern examples*. In part, this is driven by the "buy today, drink tonight" mindset of most American wine consumers (present company obviously excepted). Merlot fits this paradigm far better than the Cabernets do, so I can understand why less famous Chateaux might feel the need to cater to that mindset.

* An excellent illustration of this is read some of the hilarious reviews of Loire reds that appear on CellarTracker from US consumers who apparently don't under what a vin de garde is all about.

I cannot speak to the changing tastes of the French public, Tim, but American palates have grown accustomed to riper, more fleshy red wines and are uncomfortable with more structured and stern examples*. In part, this is driven by the "buy today, drink tonight" mindset of most American wine consumers (present company obviously excepted). Merlot fits this paradigm far better than the Cabernets do, so I can understand why less famous Chateaux might feel the need to cater to that mindset.

* An excellent illustration of this is read some of the hilarious reviews of Loire reds that appear on CellarTracker from US consumers who apparently don't under what a vin de garde is all about.

Mark, I don't think that French palates are evolving in quite the same way. As well as an overall reduction in wine consumption driven by demonization of alcohol on health grounds, there seems to be a tilt towards white and rosé wines with their generally lighter body, potential for earlier consumption and, often wrongly, perceived lower alcohol. I don't think that, for those in France still consuming reds, there is a preference for the riper, fleshier styles. In northern Europe as well as in the UK, preferences are probably more like those in the USA but the main market in the €10-15 price range is France itself and possibly Belgium.

The decline in the French market for reds saddens me. IMO lesser Bordeaux cru bourgeois claret and their right bank equivalents have never been better and more approachable in their youth than in the last 10 years and they certainly represent far better QPR than Burgundy or even N. Rhône and most Italian and Spanish at similar price points.

Mark, I don't think that French palates are evolving in quite the same way. As well as an overall reduction in wine consumption driven by demonization of alcohol on health grounds, there seems to be a tilt towards white and rosé wines with their generally lighter body, potential for earlier consumption and, often wrongly, perceived lower alcohol..

You see those trends in the US as well, especially among younger wine drinkers. (As well as the trend away from wine/alcohol in general) Natural wine is more popular with many young folks, which is lighter-bodied livelier (white) wines. Of course we also have segments that want the Big Stuff from CA.