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2001 Château Branaire Bordeaux

2009 February 17
by Eric Hwang

image64Last Saturday was Valentine’s Day and we were coincidentally in Banff, Alberta for a long weekend of skiing. Instead of fighting the crowds to get a table at an overpriced restaurant in Banff, we decided to pick up a couple of tenderloins, some mushrooms, potatoes, spinach and a nice bottle or two of wine.  We found this bottle of Bordeaux on sale for half-off at the wine and spirits store in Banff.  Even though 2001 was not an extraordinary year for St. Julien, it was still a good year, and for $40 Canadian, it was a good price.

The color was a nice deep clear brick red with almost no signs of age. A great bouquet of berry notes and smoked meats became more intense the longer it was allowed to open up. Medium-bodied with equally intense flavors of dark cherries, plums and black olives initially with spices and integrated oak throughout. There was even a hint of mint on the smooth medium finish with very soft tannins.

What a pleasant surprise this was.  The complex flavors paired especially well with the red meat and mushrooms. Decanting for several hours improved this wine considerably.

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Copyright © 2009, Eric Hwang and BricksOfWine. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eric Hwang and BricksOfWine with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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