For the next four days, InterWined.com is bringing you a new review from its Totally Awesome Christmas Cracker Wine Case, as it counts down the Twelve Wines of Christmas.

Sadly, the aroma of this 2003 Les Ailes de Paloumey Haut Medoc (13.5%) is a little flat, which seems to be the norm these days for mid-priced Bordeaux, with a little liquorice.

The wine is nice and soft, but 2003 was a weak year for the region. In fact, you can taste all the rain. There is some tannin, though not enough for a good grip. This is the most understated of the wines and perfect for an easy drink by the Christmas tree on Boxing Day: 8.3 alone; 8.5 by the Christmas tree or in a mixed case.

Totally Awesome Christmas Cracker Wine Case

2005 Cline Cashmere £12
2003 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Chianti £12
2005 Finn ‘Off the Leash’ Adelaide Hills £10
2006 Marotti Rubico Lacrima di Morro d’Alba £8.29
2004 Quinta Generación Casa Silva Colchagua Valley Chile £12
2004 Jean-Luc Columbo Les Forots Cotes-du-Rhone £11.49
2005 Katnoon Founder’s Block Coonawarra £9
2003 Ailes de Paloumey Haut-Medoc £9.49
2005 Domaine Saint Antonin ‘Les Jardins’ Faugeres £8.49
2005 Sleeping Dog Lies West Australia Shiraz-Cabernet £8
2005 Parducci Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino £8
2002 The Observatory Swartland £20 [InterWined’s Cellar Secret]

Follow its list and, with the year-round discount, the total should come to around £107. That’s less than £10 per bottle…

Don’t forget to visit tomorrow for review number 9 the 2005 Domaine Saint Antonin ‘Les Jardins’.

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