2009 Château Branaire-Ducru
Community Tasting Note
DCHawkeye Likes this wine:
93 Points
Wednesday, July 4, 2018 - First bottle (of 18) - great fruit, structure, delicious now, but no rush. Paired with the '05 Branaire, which is equally delicious, but probably could still use a couple more years. Suspect I'll likely start digging further into the '09s while the '05 slumbers a bit longer.
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3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (7,130 views)
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Comment posted by Mark1npt:
7/4/2018 8:21:00 PM - Do you really think the '09 is better drunk ahead of the '05? Why? Tannins still too high in the '05?
Comment posted by DCHawkeye:
7/5/2018 7:53:00 PM - @Mark1npt - It's not so much that I think the tannins in the '05 Branaire are still that big, so much as the '09 just seems more open for business. Each should still improve with some more time in the bottle, but both are pretty damn tasty right now. My sense about the '09 Bordeaux (and this is mostly from reading and word of mouth, since I've not got to taste that many) is it will be a vintage that, for many of the wines, never totally shuts down, being so fruit-forward. But I think many of the '05s are still awfully big. And I think the same may be even more true for the '05 and '09 red Burgundies.
Comment posted by Mark1npt:
7/5/2018 8:09:00 PM - Good and valid points, Smithfield! I know nothing of the Burgundies, have never been there. Know only Cali pinots. BDX views you express are probably dead bang on. I have had the opportunity to taste many of them over the last year. More than in all my previous years put together. Generally speaking, I think the '09s can be opened now and enjoyed, but there is no question they will be so much better with some age on them down the road. The '10s need a lot more time, the '05s are ok now but some can def use more time, like Haut Bailly, Pontet Canet and Poyferre. The '03s are drinking beautifully right now after being largely dismissed back in '03. Pape Clement, Pontet Canet, Angelus to name a few. The one thing I've learned in my short experience with BDX is that some years can be severely misjudged at time of bottling/release, and like with the '17s just reviewed, patchy frost early and rainy weather late can cause a real hit and miss with the crop and the wines all over BDX. You have to have some help from the experts like Galloni/Martin at Vinous to sort it all out.
Btw....I had an '05 with dinner last weekend and I'm taking an '09 to dinner this weekend. Look out for my review!