Coravin fun - Bordeaux: Branaire Ducru and 1994-1996's

More post Dubai debacle tasting...

I tapped the 1999 for the first time in 2016 and now, eight years later, it's finally ready.

• 1999 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Fresh brambles, a little earth & forest floor, clove, touch of cream, blackcurrant in support as well as a little pyrazine. Juicy, fleshy brambles, savoury underpin, a little forest floor, drying tannins in support are talc textured, persistent, blackcurrant more pronounced on the finish. Lovely.

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• 2001 Château Duluc

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of plums, very slight alcohol prickle, blackberry, blackcurrant, earthy underpin. With agitation the plum and alcohol prickle become more obvious. Juicy, plummy, a little more savoury on the palate, alcohol warmth, tannins are drying though silky textured and persistent, simple. Despite 23 years I think a bit more time required for tertiary complexity. Hmm.

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• 2004 Château Branaire-Ducru

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Cream, polished oak lends toasty notes, wet clay, muted black hued fruits; plums, blackcurrant, a touch of mocha and pyrazine with time. Juicy, fleshy, integrated tannins offer an oaky support to the black fruits, those creamy elements from the nose are present here lending fat richness. Long, nice in a blousy way.

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• 2007 Château Branaire-Ducru

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Savoury, meaty notes, an almost oyster shell quality lends salinity, biscuit, with agitation non-delineated black fruits start to show backed by a little sweet spice. In the mouth it's savoury with muted black fruits that prove non-delineated here as well. Tannins are slightly woody, tugging at the mid palate, very slight sour underpin here. Long, a little breadth for the fruit here as well. Hmm.

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I first had the 1995 back in 2017 when I felt that even a magnum of it would be insufficient for my corporeal cravings…some things never change.

• 1995 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Cold earth, brambles backed by very slight blackcurrant, sous bois, leather, cedar, cigar box, slight cream, the fruit is slightly dried out; a touch raisin. On the palate the tannins are wonderfully grippy, powdery and savoury; just the right side of bitter, the fruit fresher than the nose implies showing brambles over blackcurrant, those earthy sous bois notes are here as well. Yum.

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• 1996 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Fresh blackcurrant, a little sweet plum, sweet spice, touch of cream, vanilla, with air and agitation farmyard funk implies a bretty onset, pencil shavings. Slightly sour and savoury bretty black fruit on the palate, juicy, grippy chewy, slightly woody tannins. That Bretty note is just beginning to detract from what is otherwise a very lovely wine so I probably need to tidy this up.

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• 2008 Château Branaire-Ducru

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Brambles, blood, freshly tilled earth, touch of Autumn copse and pyrazine, biscuit and cream. Slightly jubey fruits lends a black and blue berry compote quality. In the mouth the fruit is a little fresh tending to sour, a touch of bacon fat, talc textured tannins close things down a little, leaving pyrazine, cream and a little bramble...okay to nice.

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• 2010 Château Branaire-Ducru

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Baked earth, plums, sweet spice, cream, generous tending t rich nose. With time blackberry, cherry and blackcurrant begin too show with polished oak and cedar. Juicy brambles, blackcurrant, plums, cream are integrated with dialled back oaky notes showing sweet spice, tannins are silky persistent. Still quite primary but harmoniously balanced. For those that like that style this is good to go with an hour or so of air, otherwise time.

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A little bracket of 94-96 wines which, according to the critics should have ascended from the mediocre to the marvellous. Alas, after 28-30 years the randomness of cork & storage starts to express it's impact.

• 1994 Château Saint-Pierre

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien

  From Coravin. Bramble, blackcurrant, chalk, leather, pyrazine, a little blood and metallic notes, undergrowth, cranberry, fades slightly with time in the glass. Slightly dried out black fruits reinforce the drying and slightly green coarse flour textured tannins, leather, earth, a little undergrowth note here as well as a herbaceous tang. All travels long. Kind of nice in a mature old school claret way.

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• 1994 Château L'Enclos

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of forest floor, wet clay, sweet baking spice, black and red plums, a little raspberry, leather, fruit grows with time. Savoury, fleshy, juicy, muted though persistent red and black plums, silky tannins, mid palate breadth, a little green note in support. Medium plus length. Nice.

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• 1995 Château Le Crock

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  From Coravin. Slightly oxidised notes lend a little caramel, freshly tilled earth, forest floor, a little fresh herbs; thyme, brambles, touch of blackcurrant here and a smidge of rocky minerality. That oxidised note is apparent on the palate as well which is otherwise juicy and fleshy with crunchy black fruits that has a definite green underpin though isn't sour, tannins are like sucking a pebble. For me this is best drunk up based on that oxidative quality.

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• 1996 Château Marquis de Terme

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  From Coravin. Meaty, savoury, mulchy undergrowth, mushrooms and wet earth, sight brambles backed by red cherry and cranberries, a slightly flat nose. On the palate it's also quite muted. The fruit is in the red spectrum, fruit tea notes, black tea tannins finish leathery and dry out the back palate, it does travel long but it's all a bit meh for me.

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Another good 1994...a pattern emerges?

• 1994 Château Clerc Milon

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin. Blackcurrant, brambles, a little rotten forest floor (not in a bad way, oddly), fruit tea, earth, leather, undergrowth & distant bonfire both grow with time with the brambly fruit. In the mouth it's still got plenty of tannins, mulchy undergrowth view with brambly fruit, leather, earth, soy on the palate. A decant will help, rather nice but drink up in the next couple of years I think.

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• 2009 Château Clerc Milon

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin. Ooh! Yeast extract initially, baked black fruits and earth with agitation it's a little spirituous with polished oak, a touch of blackcurrant, plum, cream, plenty of sweet spice. Still primary on the nose. Juicy tends to medium plus intensity acidity, concentrated, dense black fruits, tannins are equally thick and chewy, all persist long with non-intrusive alcohol warmth assisting in carrying the finish. Bolshy. Years required.

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Just a couple here...Pity about the La Tour Haut Brion...Pontet is happily chugging along though

• 2000 Château Pontet-Canet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin. Blackcurrant, bramble, biscuit, plums, polished oak is integrated, sweet spice, touch of leather and umami. Juicy, similar flavour profile to the nose, tannins are drying, grippy, woody and tight, I think it needs a good decant to show at it's best (or more time)...it's not quite as integrated as I would like it at this juncture though all of the components are present. Touch of non-intrusive alcohol warmth helps extend the finish long. Okay at the mo'.

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• 2002 Château La Tour Haut-Brion

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  From Coravin. Creamy, rich, generous, plentiful good quality oak over plums, sweet spice, blackcurrant, a polished and plush experience that is not quite reinforced by the palate which offers a little more sharp wild blackcurrant, woody tannins slap the fruit around a little, tiny green note here as well as a touch of non intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. It's a bit disjointed and not as good as I remember this. Time to tidy and quickly at that.

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and lots more wines to drink up through the winter months. huzzah!