Cameron Douglas: Thomas Barton Reserve Saint-Emillion 2023

Wine: Thomas Barton Reserve Saint-Emillion 2023 RRP $36.99   

This is a classic wine option targeted at red wine drinkers who like a wine with some firmness yet plenty of fruit and lots of style. A bouquet and palate of Doris plums and blackberry, baking spices suggesting clove and vanilla, a lick of smoky oak (with a hint of bacon), then clay earth suggestions.   

The tannins have some grip, and the acid line adds freshness, offering an overall classic right bank flavour profile and texture. Core fruits also include a fleshy softness from the Merlot and dried herb with chalk-like tannins from the Cabernet Franc.    

The Food:  

I have enjoyed this wine in New Zealand, and also recently in France, with the best matches being pork belly with apple sauce with smashed potato, and Shepherd’s pie. For vegetarians, a vegetable lasagne with lots of spinach in a rich cheesy bechamel works a treat.   

The season:  

2023 in France was a challenge for many and not for others, it just depends where your vineyards are located. Dry and sunny in July with hot spells through August. A generally lower crop harvest. This also meant some stressed vines, but an overall decent harvest. The proof is in the wine. 

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tam podcast
from News Talks. That'd be if you.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Are looking for a good drop to enjoy alongside the
rugby this evening, Master sommelier Cameron Douglas is here with
his pick for us this weekend.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Hey Cameron, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Once again, you have chosen a Thomas Barton Reserve Saint
Milion twenty twenty three for about thirty six ninety nine.
So tell us about this wine.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
Well, it's a hat in some respects to the French
rugby team today. Although I'm an all Black fan, I
wanted to show that we can have a wine and
enjoy with food that is from somewhere else for a change.
And I think listeners sometimes want to know what reserve

(00:52):
on a wine label means when they are purchasing something,
and it can mean one of two things or both.
And that is the winemaker's favorite blend or more appropriately
a barrel selections. So it's a smaller amount of wine
and fewer barrels that they love the most and they
call it reserve.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Right, Yeah, which makes sense. It's kind of the reserve
the very best of the best, right, So what does
it taste like.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Well, it's a blend. It's a right bank Bordeaux wine
from Santa Million, So it's a blend of Merlot and
Cabinet fronc. It's mostly Merlo these days, and it's a
wine of weight and richness. It's got that classic bouquet
of Doris plums and BlackBerry and all of these baking
spices from the use of oak, but a clove and

(01:40):
vanilla and what I call a hint of bacon oak.
And it's not like the oak taste like bacon. It's
just that some oak barrels throw a slight bacony type
character and that just gives us what we call complexity.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Nice.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
So what would you choose to eat with this wine?
Do you think?

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Well, I tried this wine actually in France, that the
producer's chateau last week, and I've had it here in
New Zealand, and so my food matches are based on
what I had over there and what I know I
can work with here. So that classic pork belly with

(02:19):
apple sauce and crispy skin with a little mashed potato
is a wonderful match. But if you like a shepherd's
pie and you're very deep into the winter mode. Still
then that's again got a little mashed potato on top,
but it works rather well with all those earthy flavors
in the pie. Rich food and something quite rich foods,

(02:40):
you know what it is. But the you know, the
weight and richness of wine which this has needs to
have a food pairing that has equal weight and richness.
I also have a vegetarian dish because I like you
know that word simplicity with food comes great with vegetarian

(03:01):
foods like as simple as only with lots of spinach
and lots of cheese. Spasher mal sauce works well too.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Oh yeah, you won me over, Cameron, as you always do.
Twenty twenty three in France was an interesting season too,
So how is that reflected in the wine?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yeah? I did some research on the weather again just
to remind myself, and it was one of those classic
vintages where there was some inclement weather and it all
depends on what part of France and Bordeaux you were in.
But it was really quite hot through July and August,
and there was some stressed vines we call them because

(03:36):
they didn't get enough water. But overall, really it was
a decent harvest because they had lower crops and they
needed to be more selective in what they were choosing
for wine blends. And I guess the proof really is
and when you try that wine.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, very good. Okay, so you've chosen the Thomas Barton
Reserve Saint Emilion from twenty twenty three. As you wine
this week, we'll make sure that's on the new Stork'd website.
You have a great weekend, you two, sir.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Thank you for.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
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