1997 Chateau LaCardonne

[newsguy]

($16.99) this widely available wine from the medoc is a blend of 50% cab, 45% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. purplish red color. after decanting for an hour, grudgingly gave up a nose of fruit --indiscernable for me exactly which one(s) -- earth and a little tar. a very soft wine with a faint taste of fruit (was able to notice cherry), flowers and a hint of tar, with slight drying tannins.

admittedly, i am a fan of cabs, particularly the in-your-face kind. but i've tasted plenty of more subtle cabs, bourdeauxs, merlots, pinot noirs, etc. that i've really liked. i can't say that for this wine. maybe it had been stored improperly but it tasted at least a year or two past its peak, which shouldn't be the case with a '97. it definitely was not "closed," it just didn't have the stuffing. at least i can say it was balanced: the fruit, acidity and tannins all were lacking.

your $16.99 could purchase much better wines than this.

[Bucko]

The 96 version was pretty tasty.