Château Branaire-Ducru 2014 Saint-Julien (75cl)

A 2014 Saint-Julien red from Château Branaire-Ducru, on Bordeaux's left bank. It has spent ten years in bottle and is drinking now rather than sleeping. Saint-Julien is the balanced middle ground: structured, but not as tight as some neighbouring areas. The wine works for a dinner where the label matters, or as a gift for someone who already knows Bordeaux. The wine brings blackcurrant, dark cherry and cedar, with graphite and tobacco as the wine ages, plus firm but fine-grained tannins. Decant for about an hour and serve around 17°C with red meat or roast lamb.