Château Benoit
Arbalest Red Bordeaux Blend
Bordeaux, France
Kind of lacking in the fruit category for me. Very light going down, slightly tannic. Bla....
Kind of lacking in the fruit category for me. Very light going down, slightly tannic. Bla....
2 people found it helpfulFeb 6th, 2021
Benoit Touquette’s simple Bordeaux blend. There’s a lot of value here, considering you’re getting the winemaker from Realm. Juicy black cherry fruit along with classic garrigue, mineral, tobacco, and spice notes. Nice tannic structure to offset the fruit.
Benoit Touquette’s simple Bordeaux blend. There’s a lot of value here, considering you’re getting the winemaker from Realm. Juicy black cherry fruit along with classic garrigue, mineral, tobacco, and spice notes. Nice tannic structure to offset the fruit.
2 people found it helpfulFeb 13th, 2019
Curiosity got the best of me. Steve Mnuchin and Jared Kushner bro’d out over a bottle of this 2015 Arbalest on Sunday. Apparently it’s newsworthy when a wealthy politician brings a ‘cheap’ ($22) bottle of wine to a bro out. I wonder what price gets the ‘politician drinks expensive bottle’ story (see Paul Ryan at Bistro Bis in 2011). No matter, it’s brilliant product placement — I’m surprised Trump didn’t tweet about it... “Did everyone see Poor Stevie’s wine? So Sad. My 2015 Meritage is So Much Better.”
The wine is made by Benoit Touquette. Here’s his background courtesy of critic Jeb Dunnuck, “Born in Lyon France and gaining his education from the University of Bordeaux, Benoit worked at numerous French wineries before getting a job (with the help of his friend and mentor Michel Rolland) in Napa Valley with Andy Erickson. He consulted for the likes of Screaming Eagle, Ovid and Arietta. Today, Benoit is the winemaker for Realm Cellars, Hartwell, and Kata, as well as numerous other labels, including his own project Fait-Main.” Who wouldn’t want to try a $22 bottle of wine from a winemaker with that kind of resume??
Dunnuck also scored the wine 91 points, calling it “Full-bodied, ripe and rounded, with a sexy, opulent style, lots of mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it's well worth your time and money and is a smoking deal at 20 bucks.”
The blend is 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It needed about an hour to fully open up... one of my fellow tasters called it soapy... which I think was because of its noticeable herbaceousness. Focused black cherry, pipe tobacco, clove. Juicy, but dry, with lots of grip. I’m not doing backflips over it, but you could do much worse at $22. 90+
Curiosity got the best of me. Steve Mnuchin and Jared Kushner bro’d out over a bottle of this 2015 Arbalest on Sunday. Apparently it’s newsworthy when a wealthy politician brings a ‘cheap’ ($22) bottle of wine to a bro out. I wonder what price gets the ‘politician drinks expensive bottle’ story (see Paul Ryan at Bistro Bis in 2011). No matter, it’s brilliant product placement — I’m surprised Trump didn’t tweet about it... “Did everyone see Poor Stevie’s wine? So Sad. My 2015 Meritage is So Much Better.”
The wine is made by Benoit Touquette. Here’s his background courtesy of critic Jeb Dunnuck, “Born in Lyon France and gaining his education from the University of Bordeaux, Benoit worked at numerous French wineries before getting a job (with the help of his friend and mentor Michel Rolland) in Napa Valley with Andy Erickson. He consulted for the likes of Screaming Eagle, Ovid and Arietta. Today, Benoit is the winemaker for Realm Cellars, Hartwell, and Kata, as well as numerous other labels, including his own project Fait-Main.” Who wouldn’t want to try a $22 bottle of wine from a winemaker with that kind of resume??
Dunnuck also scored the wine 91 points, calling it “Full-bodied, ripe and rounded, with a sexy, opulent style, lots of mid-palate depth, and a great finish, it's well worth your time and money and is a smoking deal at 20 bucks.”
The blend is 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It needed about an hour to fully open up... one of my fellow tasters called it soapy... which I think was because of its noticeable herbaceousness. Focused black cherry, pipe tobacco, clove. Juicy, but dry, with lots of grip. I’m not doing backflips over it, but you could do much worse at $22. 90+
Dark bitter cocoa, mixed with dried berry. This whole wine wraps up into something one would buy from a gourmet shop, and eat while watching an art house film. Worth a tipple.
Dark bitter cocoa, mixed with dried berry. This whole wine wraps up into something one would buy from a gourmet shop, and eat while watching an art house film. Worth a tipple.
1 person found it helpfulAug 24th, 2017
Dry and tannic while retaining a good fruit balance
Dry and tannic while retaining a good fruit balance
May 21st, 2021
Medium ruby color. Aromas of black cherry, raspberry, cigar box and baking spices. Black tea flavors, tobacco, dark fruit and cedar finish.
Paired with Shiitake mushroom risotto- we managed to get rid of the kids tonight! 😀
Medium ruby color. Aromas of black cherry, raspberry, cigar box and baking spices. Black tea flavors, tobacco, dark fruit and cedar finish.
Paired with Shiitake mushroom risotto- we managed to get rid of the kids tonight! 😀
Didn’t hate it, little “snuffy” and odd finish
Didn’t hate it, little “snuffy” and odd finish
Jan 5th, 2021
Was looking forward to trying. It disappointed. Too bitter and dry. Relief with some hint of strawberry
Was looking forward to trying. It disappointed. Too bitter and dry. Relief with some hint of strawberry
Nov 17th, 2020Easy drinking Bordeaux with rich red fruit and slight woody and herbaceous quality. Stood up well to a fatty dinner but also with dark chocolate.
Easy drinking Bordeaux with rich red fruit and slight woody and herbaceous quality. Stood up well to a fatty dinner but also with dark chocolate.
Jun 29th, 20205/2020. Nice Bordeaux. Bold and full of flavor. Nice on the palate.
5/2020. Nice Bordeaux. Bold and full of flavor. Nice on the palate.
Jun 4th, 2020