As it’s St Patrick’s month let me introduce you to a French red with Irish connections. Honest. In the 18th century several Irish merchants and entrepreneurs decided they had had enough of war with England and took off to France ““ where the mood was also anti British. Some settled in Bordeaux and were successful in the wine business. Jean-Baptiste, the son of a Lynch from Galway, founded the now prestigious Chateau Lynch-Bages and in his spare time was Mayor of Bordeaux from 1800 to 1815
The family connection is long gone, but the Lynch name lives on, and the wine below is an everyday regional blend. I’ve often bought it in Ireland and delighted to see it’s now at the LCBO.
Light-bodied, it’s refreshing and delightfully traditional. Some pucker, some dusty dryness, and no prettiness. Very bistro. Sure the label says Merlot but it bears no resemblance to what most know as Merlot from hot climates. But it does resemble Merlot/Cabernet blends in Ontario.
MICHAEL LYNCH 11 Red Bordeaux, France 361550 $16.95
P.S. My next post will be an Ontario edition of the Red Bordeaux style.
