Les Portes de Bordeaux

Wine: Les Portes de Bordeaux.

Grapes: Merlot (60 percent), cabernet sauvignon (40 percent)

Region: Bordeaux, France

Vintage: 2009

Price: $4.99

In the glass: Portes de Bordeaux is a deep ruby-red color with a deep semi-opaque core going out into a fine pinkish-red rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: It is a young and vibrant scent of freshly crushed red and black berry fruits that emanates from the bowl of the glass with loads of bramble, currants and ripe cherries predominantly, but also freshly squeezed plum juice, graphite and some underlying notes of herbs and fruit-driven minerality are present.

On the palate: The wine coats the inside of the mouth with a plethora of freshly crushed primarily red fruits. There is a marked note of black currant with a presence of blackberry juice, marionberry sorbet and red currants intermingled. The midpalate is a sort of cran-grape juice mixed with well-structured tannins that seem nicely interlaced with the fruit in the wine and shows its youth and power of the vintage, even at this level. The finish lingers with fine red fruit and a kick of minerals.

Odds and ends: Another great little wine from the super vintage of the century (so far), but at a completely ridiculous price at Trader Joe's. Every wine from Bordeaux from the 2009 vintage was enormously expensive, so you can imagine my surprise in stumbling across this wine that was not only worth the price but would have been at four times that. When Bordeaux, which is the world's largest producer of great quality wine in quantity, is on top of its game like the 2009 vintage was, there's nothing that can come close. Portes de Bordeaux is the great success of a vintage in a microcosm. Drink it through 2016 and try it with any grilled meat.

I want to dedicate this review to a great lover of Bordeaux wine, who sadly and much too early passed away July 15. A toast to Dan Otter, who shall forever be remembered as a great wine-drinking buddy and friend.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.