The Inadvertant Bottle

I had no intention to drink this bottle of 2005 Chateau De Sales, a Pomerol wine.  It was resting comfortably in its space at the bottom of the rack while I was pulling a different bottle from near the top.  Bottle "A" slipped from my hand and made first contact on the very top of bottle "B" - the De Sales.

Bottle "A" survived the fall but when I examined the De Sales there was a crack in the upper neck and already there was liquid seeping from under the capsule. Nothing left to do but open the bottle and enjoy it. 

Sadly the neck cracked when pulling the cork so the wine was immediately decanted using an ultra fine stainless steel filter that nests inside the decanting funnel.  That removed the glass, and there was just a tiny bit, and the sediment, and there was some of that as well.

Medium dark color and a nose that immediately screamed "Bordeaux."  There is a certain mix of fruit, earth and tannin that I only find in Bordeaux wines and that's exactly what this wine had.  Cherries, plums, a little graphite, a hint or two of cassis, an unmistakable taste of earth, and a certain type of tannin.  All that was in this wine and it had wonderful balance and after some breathing time had a great sense of class.  It wasn't the biggest wine on the block, but it was certainly elegant and delicious.

Dinner was quickly changed from some left over turkey to a quick firing up of the grill and tossing on some lamb chops and roasted potatoes.    

Many years ago I cut my wine teeth on Bordeaux and at one time it probably accounted for over 50% of the wines in my cellar, and quite a number of those were second growths.  With the prices of these wines in today's market they have now become a rare treat, and they are wines that I miss. 

13.5% alcohol and $45 several years ago.