Chateau Bernadotte

Grapes: Cabernet sauvignon (57 percent), merlot (41 percent), cabernet franc (1 percent), petit verdot (1 percent)

Region: Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France

Vintage: 2003

Price: $14.99

In the glass: Chateau Bernadotte is an intense, purplish dark red with an opaque core, going out into a purplish-pink rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: It is a young, yet full-bodied wine, which shows superb concentration of crushed black currant fruit, creme de cassis, wild cherry compote and spice elements on the nose, with underlying oak references, vanilla, creme caramel and minerals.

On the palate: Chateau Bernadotte is a rich and mouth-filling — almost chewy — wine with layers of black fruit, creme de cassis, boysenberry sorbet, vanilla, cedar, spice box and herbs, going into a great midpalate that is well-delineated and balanced. It also has a nice, long finish, punctuated by velvety tannins and more black fruit and vanilla, that lingers in the mouth for a full 30 seconds afterward.

Odds and ends: The 2003 is a fantastic vintage for this region, and while Chateau Bernadotte is made from a neoclassic bordeaux blend with mainly cabernet sauvignon and merlot, it also is a wine that, for less than $15, is an amazing value.

If you want to buy an elegant and classy bordeaux wine, this is the one to put your money into. It is under the direct supervision of the same winemaking team that produces Pichon Lalande’s wines and, as such, comes with great pedigree. Chateau Bernadotte will age gracefully and drink great over the next 10 years. Try it with a salt- and pepper-rubbed porterhouse steak done medium-rare on the grill.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Writer him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749 or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com