You Don't Always Get What You Want, But Sometimes, You Get What You Need

We didn't need another wine tour, and we didn't get one.  But, we did need another wine tasting, and we got it.

Our final chateau for the day (and the trip) was Chateau Branaire-Ducru of the Saint-Julien appellation.  I've either had this wine before or I have one aging gracefully in my wine fridge.  I don't remember which, and I'm not about to check.

It's one of ten Fourth Growths in the 1855 Classifications, which needs to be replaced by a British soccer-style relegation and promotion system.  (It's fully explained a few paragraphs down in this post.)

(Editor: Glen, never going to happen.)

Writer: It won't but it should.  If it happens, it would be spectacular.  I would call it "the Bolger Classification System."

Editor: Ego much?

Writer: Ego?  Ergo why not?)

L to R: The first wine of the chateau,

a non-classified wine, and their

second wine, Duluc.

A rather large format bottle

of Chateau Branaire-Ducru.

One last pic of grapevines in

Bordeaux, just outside the

Chateau's wine making facility.

It's a gravity-flow style winery, so the tanks "hang" below the main floor, making for interesting visuals (because of the glass, I couldn't get a good photo).  

Wine and literature trivia alert: A bottle of 1934 Branaire-Ducru was a central part of Roald Dahl's story "Taste."

The Fourth Growth Chateau Branaire-Ducru was once part of Château Beychevelle but became separate around 1680 when the estate was partitioned. The other Château that was formed from this division was Château Ducru Beaucaillou.

We enjoyed the wine -- I thought the Duluc was a particularly good bottle of second wine.