WTN: 2000 Branaire Ducru

A long leisurely lunch at Gramercy Tavern seemed like a perfect time to open my last bottle. It gave a very youthful appearance in the decanter. Lovely aromatics of dark fruit and hints of florals. Nicely evolved from my bottle of five years ago, it showed meaty and savory qualities, tobacco, with dark cherries becoming more pronounced after more time in the decanter. There are underlying tannins, but they are mildly noticeable, and there are cedar notes on the finish. Acidity is interwoven and created layers and freshness. Not a flashy wine, but a lovely lunch or dinner wine.

Thanks for the 2000 Bordeaux update Diane. I have only opened one of my 2000's but maybe it is time to see how they are doing. Some of them like Calon Segur ,Clos St. Martin and Pichon Baron I think will still need more time.

[David M. Bueker]

I last had this at Thanksgiving 2013, and it was a wonderful accopaniment to a meal. Fine value at the $39.99 I paid back in the day. Not so sure about the $75 or so that Branaire goes for now.

To Jim Grow, I had a 2000 Pichon Longueville Baron included in a vertical tasting at the Nantucket Wine Festival and will be reporting on that today or tomorrow. The 2000 was drinking well and was one of my favorites of the tasting.

[David M. Bueker]

I had a 2000 Pichon Longueville Baron included in a vertical tasting at the Nantucket Wine Festival and will be reporting on that today or tomorrow. The 2000 was drinking well and was one of my favorites of the tasting.

That's good to hear, as it was closed down for a longtime. The Pichon Baron was my favorite of the lot when the Y2K Bordeaux were released.

I had a 2000 Pichon Longueville Baron included in a vertical tasting at the Nantucket Wine Festival and will be reporting on that today or tomorrow. The 2000 was drinking well and was one of my favorites of the tasting.

That's good to hear, as it was closed down for a longtime. The Pichon Baron was my favorite of the lot when the Y2K Bordeaux were released.

I'm not ready to open mine yet. I'll probably get to a Bahans Haut Brion and D'Issan first.

[David M. Bueker]

Yeah, I am still working through lower level wines as well.

Open a 2002 Branaire Ducru last night. Decanted for 2 hours, and served with burgers on the grill. A wonderful way to unofficially start the summer. The wine was a pleasure to drink. Could easily go another 5-10 years, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. Nice wine.