A Bordeaux budget red- Mouton Cadet

As I've mentioned in the past, I often find myself found in the California wine rut. I think this is a function of a couple of factors. First off, I live in California. The wines created locally are easy to find, and easy to buy.  Secondly, I tend to gravitate towards things I know or recognize. I have gone on many a wine tasting tour, and over the years have become very familiar with the offerings of California vineyards. So, when faced with brands I recognize versus international wines that I have never seen before, I tend to go with what I know. Writing this blog is definitely forcing me to modify my behavior- and I think I'm all the better off for it.

So in the tradition of looking at new and international wines, and in staying with the Trader Joe's theme, today I will be reviewing a Bordeaux red wine called Mouton Cadet. Trader Joe's claims it is one of their best sellers, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Mouton Cadet is a blend of three varietals- 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc. Like the Rosso Classic (reviewed here), this wine is quite fruity. It's not as fruity as the Rosso, but it is fruity nonetheless.

After removing the cork, the one thing I realized very quickly is that when paired with the right food, this wine is dangerously easy to drink. For example, last night I cooked up some leftover chicken, poured myself some wine, and plopped down in front of my TV. I watched some junky reruns, ate my diner (which paired excellently with the wine), and drank my Mouton Cadet- slowly filling the glass as I neared the stem. Before I knew it, my dinner was gone, and so was the bottle of wine. I thought I was at most 2 glasses in. I was wrong- dead wrong.

Overall, I think this wine is pretty good on its own, and even better with a meaty kind of meal. I think anything overly spiced- like a curry dish, would taste awful with it. However, if you stick to the old meat and potatoes, you should be well on your way to a pretty enjoyable wine experience.

This wine sells at Trader Joes for $6.99 on the West Coast.

Recommendation: Definitely buy it

Comments

[Pascal]

Good pick. My approach to wine picking has been driven by different motivation and evolved a lot since I came in the US in 94. As a French native I first have been very excited by the opportunity to finally have access to Californian wines (which were not for sale in France at this time). Unfortunately I've been quickly disappointed by cheap Californian wines (I really like the ones that I cannot afford...bummer) and I turned back to what I knew: imported wines from France. The Mouton Cadet has been on my table for years as it is very constant in quality and it has been at Trader Joe's for years. FYI the same bottle is at least $2-$3 more expensive in France compared to the price at TJ!! at the opposite of many other imported French wines which I found totally overpriced (like Bandols for example). Anyway I'm only taking this Bordeaux from time to time now as I like to explore other wines from various countries.

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Overall, I think this wine is pretty good on its own, and even better with a meaty kind of meal.