The 2020 Chateau Branaire Ducru has been uncorked and other ramblings....

[JimHow]

A beautiful evening here in the Great State of Maine, the weather report for the week ahead looks splendid. Unofficial summer has arrived, everything green and fragrant, like this 2020 Branaire, well, fragrant, not green, a stunning St. Julien purple, looking forward to pairing it with a nice strip sirloin after a busy week.

[JimHow]

What a week. I'm with Marcs, all things must pass, and I'm afraid this is the passing of our beloved republic into darkness. I was talking to our Maine senator Angus King who was in town this week, he is worried. Old white guys like me are going to be fine, and, what's more, I'm reaching the conclusion that at least Bordeaux is alive and well, sipping this beautiful Branaire.

[JimHow]

Partisan Democratic prosecutors bringing square-peg-in-round-hole prosecutions against an opposition party president in the middle of a close national election. This is what they do in Myanmar and Venezuela. I don't know if the country is going to recover from this.

[stefan]

The prosecutors could not vote to convict. The judge could not vote to convict. ALL of the 12 jurors voted to convict. The jurors were vetted by Trump's very expensive attorneys. 23% of NYC voters voted for Trump in 2000. Surely some of the jurors were among those.

Appeals courts will decide whether there was anything improper in this case, but I have little doubt that the charges against Trump were accurate.

[JimHow]

I have no doubt Aung San Suu Kyi got "due process" as she serves 20 plus years in Myanmar for such "crimes against the state" as carrying walkie talkies against state law. I have no doubt the "State" put on a compelling case that will survive all appeals. But, hey, we're better than Myanmar here in the great US.

[StBlGT]

.

[Nicklasss]

In August, i will enjoy as much as i can my visit, with my family, in the Great USA, under serenity and wise leadership Presidency.

If Trump win, i’ ll be banned anyway as a French canadian First Nation guy…

Thank you Jim for that report. I likevery much those 2020, with lot of poise at a young age, convincing balance and freshness. I tried to get some Branaire, had zero… i have some2018 and 2019, but i would like to have some 2020.

Branaire is a sleeper on every vintages.

[JimHow]

The 2020 Branaire Ducru is a Jean-Nicolas Maltais kind of wine. I hereby declare Bordeaux to be alive and well. This is a classy, everything-in-place St. Julien. Brilliant purple color, lovely lead pencil on the nose, medium bodied, elegant with a pleasant, distinctive backbone. When we went to Branaire last October I was struck by the map on the wall that showed how distributed throughout St. Julien its multiple parcels are located. This 13.5% effort is truly representative of the elegance and class of the appellation. Loved it. Rating: 95 points.

[JimHow]

I agree SB, I don’t see this verdict changing things for the better for the Democrats. As a criminal defense lawyer I don’t believe prosecutors should be fitting square pegs into round holes, trying to “make it work,” in even the simplest of prosecutions… let alone political cases involving national opposition party leaders. There will undoubtedly be retribution. I continue to fear political violence.

As for your 2020 Branaires, you will be happy to have these in your cellar for the next 20 years to come, it is a St. Julien beauty.

[stefan]

>>
I don’t see this verdict changing things for the better for the Democrats.
>>

I agree. Apparently, so did most people in the White House. But they cannot control what cases New York officials prosecute. I thought that the best result for the Dems would be conviction on some counts and acquittal, or least hung juries, on others. Unfortunately for the Dems, the prosecutors apparently did not throw in some spurious charges.

Too bad Biden does not have the power to pardon Trump. Had this been a federal trial, he could issue a pardon while saying with a straight face, "sure, Trump has been proven guilty of a non violent felony, but the American people should have the right to choose the next president without the added distraction of the result of this trial".

[DavidG]

Jim, I share your concern for the threat to our democracy. But not the source. The guys trying to bring to justice the one whose entire life is devoted to cheating, lying, and getting away with breaking the law, including an attempt to overthrow the government? Those aren’t the folks we need to worry about.

[jckba]

Picked up a case of the 2020 Branaire Ducru for a laughable $360 + tax at Zachys during their cost slashing, inventory reduction sale in January of this year but have yet to broach it so appreciate the data point.

2020 Branaire Ducru Zachys receipt

[Comte Flaneur]

Nice one JC

Wine prices are very soft over this side of the pond as well - this higher rates regime makes it very painful for retailers to hold onto stock - a classic buyer’s market

Buy, buy, buy…

[JimHow]

Yeah that's a really nice deal on a really nice wine.
I think I'm going to buy another case each of 2019 and 2020 Labegorce in the low-$30s.
The quality and pricing of 2019/2020 Bordeaux right now is fortuitous.

[Claudius2]

Guys
Branaire has been a regular buy for me since 1982 and I just had 6 bottles of the 2020, along with several other Châteaux delivered.

At the Union tasting here in balmy Singapore, I was really impressed with 2020 and on both banks. The style in fruitier than 2019 but in a nice way, and I broke my vow to not buy any more en primeur stock both times.

Cheers
Mark