Winery	Barton and Guestier
Region	Margaux, France
Vintage	2006
Type	Red
Grape Varietals	Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carbernet Franc
Retail Price	$39
Rating	8/10

Great wine and great food... well that's at least what I look forward to every CNY reunion dinner. It was quite a rush affair, as usual, and heck I forgot to pick up a bottle of wine during our festive shopping. We will be having hot pot with our favourite sides dishes (beef, pork, chicken, fish, abalone, prawn, yong tau hu..) and list goes on... of course, the most important ingredient to a good hot pot is the dipping! The more spicy the better! Chilli for the not so faint hearted? I always felt white wine goes well with hot pot and chilli. At least with such a huge spread of different meat varieties, white will be a safe bet to go with. Surely Red does not go well with seafood as it will exxagerate the 'fishy' taste.     

While lamenting my forgetfulness, I decided to give 2008 a new twist. How about Red Barton & Guestier 2006 for a try? I bought this bottle some time back in late 2007 and thereafter it was banished into the lowest chamber of my wine cellar. I had wanted to buy the 2005 vintage bottle. But like any typical Singaporean shopping in Supermarket, I tend to remove the first bottle of wine from the shelf and pick the one behind it. Alas, I did not double check and ended up with a "freshier" 2006 bottle...

Surprise to say, this young medium-full bodied French wine pack more sunstance than I ever thought. And even more surprising, it goes miraculously well with seafood and for the matter any of the white meat and red meat. Any of the fishiness from the seafood seem to have blended into the rich aromatic dark fruits, vanilla and toasty coffee flavour. The texture was smooth albeit slight acidity which was easily overcomed and goes down very well with each sip. The spicy sensation from my home blended chilli mix easily harmonised with the alcohol without being overpowered.  Like most Margaux wine, it comes with a distinctlve characteristic of a earthy mineral note. 

Compared to other young 2004 and 2005 French wine I've tried, this outstanding dark horse shines brighter than some Grand Cru labels, showing depth and maturity. One might easily overlooked this value-for-money wine in the sea of cheaper Australian labels.

Tasting Note:

• This medium-full bodied dark ruby Margaux red is packed with rich aromatic dark fruit, coffee and vanilla. It is slightly acidic, and hidden with a tint of distinctive soily mineral note with a lingering aftertaste of toasty and fruity finishing.

Food Pairing:

•  Red meat, white meat, pasta, chicken rice and chilli crab. This red goes especially well with seafood.

Drinkability:

• Ready to drink.

Available At:

• Giant Supermarket