With Hart at WineBar Paribus

We picked it as it was Hart’s birth year vintage, and we’ve not had wine from this Chateau before.
TBF, I did not have high hopes for this. This was one of those classified Bordeaux (5th growth) that has a rep for underperforming in the past several decades and was just. Well, unspectacular. Unspectacular wines usually don’t have the substance to last 30 years.

I was wrong. This was delicious.

In the glass: dark garnet, mid- body.

On the nose: this was initially just cedar and tobacco dominant. This is common for wines that don’t have enough fruits to go the distance. Distinct barnyard funk. As the wine breathed, the red fruits crept forward. By the end, this was 70% tobacco and earth, but a pleasurable 30% rich and very youthful red fruit. Red currants maybe?

On the palate: surprisingly grippy tannins that aren’t quite soft but well palatable. Fair concentration of fruits.
Very aromatic wood on exhale. Wonderful balance of fruits and age.

The ONE flaw was that its finish dropped off super abruptly. Midish finish. Would’ve scored much higher if not for it!