2003 Comtesse Thibier Graves Blanc, Bordeaux, France

As I stood there looking at this bottle at the local wine shop my instincts were telling me not to buy it. There's the grandma's upholstery look to the label, there's the back label... and I quote:

"At the turn of the century, I began riding my bicycle through the Bordeaux countryside getting to know the grapes that makes premium wines. Today my family continues the tradition of carefully selecting the best grapes. Our aim is perfection."

Despite that little piece of poetic heaven on the back of the bottle I bought it and brought it home. We've hit a bit of a dry patch with Graves, as of late, and just have not had that classic gravelly, lemony Bordeaux blanc experience. Maybe this one will be different. Maybe this one will live down the floral drapery.

As you can guess, we did not find it to really work out all that well. This wine had a light, almost non-existent nose. There was a little pine, some citrus, but so faint as to make you strain to pick it up. The palate was also light, and weak missing both the traditional mineral qualities and the clean, refreshing fruit indicative of these wines. The finish was non-existent. So... I feel mean here but I am being absolutely honest. This wine did not deliver on the Graves blanc promise.

cost - $9.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 2

1998 Domaine Caillot Santenay, Burgundy

Ugh. What the hell were we thinking. Typically, we love white Burgundy and Santenay rarely disappoints. Was at the local wine shop and saw this 1998 from a producer we had not tried and despite the fact that it was on "close-out", and despite the distinct possibility that this wine was past its prime, damaged, and probably not drinkable... well, the price was too good to say no to and we brought it home.

Lesson no. 456 - Trust your instincts.

The wine was bad. It was badly damaged, probably by heat and/or improper storage. The color was more like a Sauterne than like a chardonnay (see photo). It tasted like a marathon runner's insoles. It has sat on our kitchen counter for the last week as we were planning on returning it. For some reason, though, it continues to sit there like some sort of "you're an idiot" signpost. Note that with French chardonnay in this price range it is best to check on the older vintages prior to purchasing. This is because, especially within the last few years and with the lower priced wines, they are being vinted to drink within a few years after release.

cost - $9.99 on sale from $22.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - not rated / bottle was damaged