What I will remember most from this year is the brutal discrepancy between the wet spring and summer drought. One had to be in the vineyard constantly, make smart choices on a plot by plot and even bunch by bunch at times. But that’s what our job is all about, isn’t it?
The UGC returns to North America January 2013 to show the sublime 2010 Bordeaux vintage. Events are scheduled in San Francisco Los Angeles New York Chicago Washington DC Montreal and Toronto.
The 2012 Bordeaux vintage for us, in Pessac Leognan was dry until the end of March. Next it was very humid until the end of July. This was followed by a hot and sunny August with 2 or 3 days of rain.
At Branaire Ducru, we focus on obtaining freshness along with the best purity of the fruit possible. And of course a lot of finesse.
We opted not to use the optical sorting. I’m not in favor of it. Wine making is at its best, when it’s hands on.
Rule #1 When thinking about which wines to open for Thanksgiving, serve wine people are going to like. It’s a simple explanation, but simple is often the best solution, especially when it comes to Thanksgiving wine and food pairings. Pairing wine with food is supposed to be fun. not rocket science.