Celebrating the Warm Weather with Bordeaux #FrenchWinophiles

The French Winophiles are visiting the Bordeaux region of France this month.  We were blessed with a virtual tour guide, Gabriela of TEUWEN, who sent each of us some wonderful wines and supplied us with tons of wonderful information.  All opinions in this blog are completely my own.  I received no monetary compensation for this post.

The Cotes de Bordeaux region consists of five appellations, Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, Francs and Sainte-Foy.  Cotes is hillside in French.  The Bordeaux region is considerably larger than these 5 areas but for todays post we will concentrate on the Cotes de Bordeaux.

I was supplied with three bottles of wine for sampling purposes, two reds and one white.  I paired the white and one of the reds for this post.  I have yet to open the third bottle but will share my thoughts when I do. 

The Cotes de Bordeaux consists of mainly small, family run wineries and only make up 10% of the production from Bordeaux.  The clay/limestone soil make the perfect growing spot for these Merlot dominated wines, 97% of which are red.  This made me very excited to try the white Bordeaux.

Both of the wines that I'm sharing here today were young and drank very well.  This is characteristic of wines from this area, they are able to be enjoyed immediately but they also age well and can be kept for several years.

As I mentioned, I was very excited to try the White Bordeaux so that was the first bottle I opened to share with you today.  This bottle from Chateau Peybonhomme Les Tours poured a beautiful golden color with green undertones.  You can visit Chateau Peybonhomme on Facebook.

Chateau Peybonhomme Les Tours, is owned by the Hubert family, and is currently being ran by the 5th generation.  They run the largest biodynamic estate in the Cotes de Blaye.   This bottle is made 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillon grapes.  It is very nicely priced at less than $20 a bottle.  

I paired it with Grilled Chicken Skewers, Grilled Asparagus and a Mango Rice Pilaf that I created to share with you today.  I wasn't sure how Mango Rice Pilaf would turn out, let alone how it would pair with this wine.  Let me tell you, this dish was so amazing and the pairing was perfection.  The creamy sweetness of the mango balanced  out the zing often found in Sauv Blancs.

I was going to end this post with sharing just the White Bordeaux but then, for Mother's Day, my husband made dinner.  When he served up the Grilled Strip Steaks with my favorite sides of Grilled Asparagus, Sweet Potato and Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions, he also opened the bottle of Chateau de Pitray.  This pairing also deserved some attention.

Chateau de Pitray has been owned by the same family for the past 600 years.  The grapes are grown herbicide free and are vat or barrel aged on the property.  This bottle of Premier Vin is available for less than $15 and tastes as if it would cost much more.  You can visit Chateau de Pitray on Facebook. 

A blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon made it a perfect pairing for the grilled steak.  I could easily see this becoming a regular pour in this household.  We are Cab drinkers normally and this was a wonderful wine, especially considering the affordability. 

This event is being hosted by Michelle of Rockin Red Blog.  You can read her preview post and are invited to join us for Twitter Chat today following #winophiles. I won't be there because I will be on a plane heading to Granada for a week long dive adventure.  YAY.....

I will be there in spirit though and I will be checking out what the others had to say about the Cotes de Bordeaux wines.  Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the articles.  You will find my recipe for the Mango Pilaf at the bottom of this post.

• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Côtes de Bordeaux pairings through Blaye, Cadillac & Castillon” 
• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla offers “Exploring the Côtes de Bordeaux with Simple, Salty, Spicy Nibbles” 
• David from Cooking Chat brings us “Cheesy Beef Casserole with Wine from Côtes de Bordeaux” 
• Nicole from Somm’s Table explores “2 oz Pours: 5 Nights of BDX” 
• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog offers “Côtes de Bordeaux: Your Go-To For Affordable, Approachable Bordeaux”
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares “Affordable French: Bordeaux and Burgers for #Winophiles” 
• Rupal the Syrah Queen gives us “5 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Côtes de Bordeaux” 
• Jill of L’Occasion offers a “Guide to the Wines of Côtes de Bordeaux” 
• Lynn of Savor the Harvest shares “Côtes de Bordeaux: A Chateau Carsin Surprise” 
• Jeff at FoodWineClick! shares “Drinking Tuesday Night Bordeaux” 
• Liz Barrett of What’s In That Bottle helps us with “Get to Know Côtes de Bordeaux #Winophiles” 
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish offers “Côtes de Bordeaux: Why It Should Be on Your Wine Shopping List” 
• Amber of Wine Travel Eats gives us “Salmanazar – Côtes de Bordeaux” 
• Michelle of Rockin Red Blog will be sharing “Drinking Bordeaux in Blue Jeans” 

Yield: 4 servings
Author: Wendy Klik
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Mango Pilaf

Tender rice pilaf studded with creamy sweet mango bits makes the perfect accompaniment for grilled chicken or fish.

prep time: 10 MINScook time: 30 MINStotal time: 40 mins

ingredients:

1 c. long grain white rice

1 t. olive oil

1/2 small onion diced

1/2 c. white wine

1 c. vegetable or chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 ripe mango, pitted, peeled and diced

instructions

Heat oil in skillet over med high heat.  Add rice and onion, stirring to coat with the oil. Cook and stir until rice is translucent but not browned.  Add the wine, cook and stir until evaporated.  Add the stock, bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, adding more stock or water,  if needed.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and stir in mango before serving.

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