Claret – A to Z Wineworks

If you happened to read my review of the Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir, you will note that we served this Claret as the 2nd wine at a recent dinner party. The main course was a mustard crusted, pan seared salmon and French lentils. When I saw this wine in the store I was intrigued. I have been familiar with A to Z’s Pinot Noirs but did not know they made a Claret. According to their description, this wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre and Grenache. The wine was a deep purple color, offered a deep cassis fruit flavor and was fairly smooth and easy to drink. That being said, I wished we had drank this wine at a different time because I think we would have appreciated it more, for example it would go well with a nice grilled steak. It was a bit overpowering for the meal and a much bigger wine than the Pinot Noir we started with. A couple joined us later in the evening and they were able to try both wines, having not had dinner with us, they really liked the Claret and preferred it to the Pinot. I’ll have to try it again and offer a revised review!