1976 Brane-Cantenac

1976 Château Brane-Cantenac:
Very top shoulder fill. Cork was loose and was pushed into the bottle when I tried to get the opener in it, so the bottle got emergency decanted to try to prevent flavour contamination from the old outer part of the cork. Bright ruby with thin orange rim. Quite full nose of violets, figs and ripe cherries. A scented overtone, almost of vanilla, that very finest fresh one. Fresh acidity, tannins more or less gone, almost Richebourg texture. Some sour cherry stones in the finish. Quite nice balance, and better than expected, but could be more complex and longer. More prunes with air. 88