Chateau Lafon-Rochet 4eme Grand Cru Classe, Saint Estephe 2010

Tasting Notes:

Château Brane-Cantenac originates back to the early 17th Century, where it was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten.  It was one of the most expensive vineyards in Bordeaux and was highly respected long before it was ranked as a Second Growth during the 1855 Classification. This wine presents a silky grain of tannins. Its aromatic complexity and beautiful concentration make it delightful. The palate is a truer indicator of the wine, because it races out of the blocks with its ripe, firm tannins, layers of mineral-rich black fruit with a tingle of spice on the animated finish.

Pairing:

Beef, Lamb, Poultry

Tasting Note:

A blend of 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine from a moderately sized vineyard was cropped at only 27.5 hectoliters per hectare and came in at 14.5% natural alcohol. The wine displays plenty of toasty oak and vanillin as well as some lead pencil shavings intermixed with cedar, black currants, cherry jam, chocolate and espresso. It is a relatively big, dense, full-bodied St.-Emilion that needs 5-6 years of cellaring and that should keep well for up to two decades.