Château Larose Trintaudon 2005 Rouge, Haut-Medoc

How I compare far too much television to Bordeaux wines.

*Bottle #113: Château Larose Trintaudon 2005 Rouge, Haut-Medoc
*Price Tag: $20
*Running Tab: $1,435
*Retailer: Pete’s Wine Shop, Seattle 

I should have liked this wine right off the bat when researching the label – their homepage on their Web site looks like a trailer for LOST which usually equals excellence to an epically cultish proportion. Unfortunately, this wine didn’t start out with a bang (or a plane trash, for that matter), it actually started out in doldrums, dragging its feet in a lazy, “I’m Bordeaux and I know it” fashion.

As in, the estate started in the early 18th century with the Château de Trintaudon getting built within sight of the original winery in 1856 (where it still stands today), has been passed around by French nobles (two counts, one duke) over the generations and an insurance agency in 1986. Maybe not a classically romantic French winemaking story, but one of wealth, obligation and history.

Although it takes a little of the lust out of the equation, Trintaudon’s Haut-Médoc (left-bank Bordeaux) 2005 vintage was the precise proponent for a solid harvest. It was a hot and dry, resulting in an early crop, rich in sugar content and balanced in acid.

Upon first tasting this wine, I thought the 60/40 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend was lean, cold, grainy and stiff – similar to many French connections and stereotypes made with Americans (much like LOST’s Danielle Rousseau). After giving it some decanter love and watching the red cling to the glass for two hours (it could have had longer), the wine began to expand to more than just the glassware (just like Danielle… Sorry).