I have made an uncountable number of trips to the South West of France but I have never tasted this wine. The Côtes de Duras borders on the Bordeaux and Bergerac regions and uses similar grape varieties in the blend of wines and wine making techniques. The wines have a reputation for being unexceptional.
I discovered BB de Berticot Rouge 2010 in a French supermarket on a recent visit. This wine is made from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grape varieties and the viticulture is being converted to organic methods.
My wife and I were completely surprised by the quality of the wine. It was very rich and concentrated and had a vivid flavour of red fruits and spice. My wife felt that it had a hint of chocolate on the palate. I could have been fooled into thinking that the wine came from further South as it was so full of fruit and full bodied. The wine also had long length on the palate which is another indicator of good quality.
The wine went perfectly with fillet of lamb and my wife's Lyonnais potatoes - yum yum. The wine and food combination was simply delicious.
The wine had a distinctive taste of its own but I cannot judge whether it is typical of the appellation. The vines are grown on calcareous soils mixed with some gravel.
At about 6 Euros for a bottle this wine is very good value for money as its quality is excellent for the price.
As and added bonus this wine will keep for several years longer as it has a good solid structure and the tannin will soften further.
The next time I am in France I shall treat myself to half a case as it represents much better value for money than anything I can find in a British supermarket.
http://www.berticot.com/organic-wines,us,3,26.cfm
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/classic-lyonnaise-potatoes-recipe/index.html
Post script
We did not drink the whole bottle on our first sitting but finished it the following evening. I discovered a sediment at the bottom of the last glass. The sediment is harmless and indicates that the wine maker has either applied moderate filtration or no filtration at all. This also indicates to me that the winemaker cares about the quality of his wines.
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