A year ago, I eagerly purchased four bottles of Baron de Brane 2015, the fabulous second wine from Brane Cantenac. My hopes were high, and with great anticipation, I carefully stored them in my cellar. Unable to contain my excitement, just as week later, I grabbed one of the bottles, hastily opened it, and poured a glass without bothering to decant. Oh, what a letdown ! It fell far short of my expectations and despite my 50 years of wine tasting experiences, I felt like a complete novice. Lesson learned: young wines often benefit from a little decanting. I knew this and yet had somehow forgotten at that moment.
With half a bottle left the next day, I nonchalantly poured myself another glass, not expecting much. To my sheer delight, the aroma was absolutely divine ! I couldn’t help but feel a tad foolish for prematurely dismissing this wine. It was a delightful, symphony of flavors, intricately layered with a velvety smooth finish. Ah, how I should have known ! Many wines not only require decanting but you will find that they reveal their true magic the following day. Sometimes, this transformation can occur over months. A bottle may be exquisite at one point, then close up after six months, only to blossom again half a year later. So here is a word of advice: never give up on a wine. It may have the power to surprise and evolve in the most delightful ways !
You may have had a similar experience. Let’s say that you have a couple of bottles of the same wine in your cellar and one day, you open one. You expect the wine to be delicious, but you are horribly disappointed. The wine should be at its peak and yet it has tannins that cover up its soul and finesse, you hate it. You give the rest of the bottle to your wife to put in the coq au vin. From that day on, whenever you pass this miserable wine in the corner of your cellar, gloom descends over you.
Then one day, a few years later, you decide to give the wine another chance or to give it away as it was emitting so much bad energy in the cellar…You uncork the bottle and are amazed. The wine is subtle, sophisticated and speaking to your heart in a low intense voice. You are seduced and will never forget this experience.
A year later, you discover that there is not a bottle left, it is all gone! But what a fantastic love story…