Just one to review this week - but it has a colorful title and mission:

Thierry & Guy, Fat Bastard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (France) - The label on the front says "Remarkably Full Bodied".  The back says "The origin of the Fat bastard.  Good friends Thierry (renowned French winemaker) & Guy (British wine industry rebel) created Fat bastard almost by accident.  It started out as an experiment Thierry had been doing in the back of his cellar, leaving a barrel "on the lees" (yeast cells).  He didn't know what to expect, but when the friends tried the wine Thierry exclaimed... 'Now zat iz what you call eh Phet bast-ard!' (read with a strong French accent).  This very British expression perfectly described the wine's wonderful color and round, rich palate so that's what they called it".

(Sigh).  I'll give them credit for drama, and with that sort of label I'm sure many people try this at least once so it was a clever sales move. 

This is the first vin de pays I've tried from France meaning it's produced independent of the strictly regulated appelation control system.  It was actually better than I expected.  The flavor was fuller and more fruit forward than traditional French wine.  Clearly they were appealing to the new world wine tastes emphasizing punch over balance.  It's biggest drawback in taste is actually the source of its supposed unique taste - the yeast - because this is a very yeasty wine.  It most reminded me of the beaujolais I review a few months ago - yeast a stronger flavor than anything else.  Also I'll mention this wine had more sediment in the bottom than any other I've tried so far which I assume is due to the yeast.

I'm not really convinced this wine was the serendipitous discovery the label suggests.  First their choice of wording indicates it was strategy instead of discovery.  Second I'm sure they're not the first guys in history to try using more yeast and for a longer period.  Third the primary role of yeast is to convert sugars into alcohol yet this is not an increased alcohol level wine despite the added yeast and time, and that suggests to me the extra yeast serves more as an added seasoning than an actual function in the wine's genesis.

I enjoyed this OK and the price was affordable.  I actually used the last couple of glasses to make some mixed drinks (bishops) so clearly it wasn't that the taste wowed me so much that I wanted to savor it on my own.  Easily though there are many wines in the $11 range which are not as good as this one.