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Chateau Barde-Haut is a St. Emilion Grand Cru - so it's not a classed growth, but it's in good company. The wine we had was actually from 1995, considered a good year in St. Emilion.
Robert Parker wrote that this wine would be best after 2008 and it was in fact drinking perfectly.
The moderately bold nose had a great balance of dark berry fruit and a bit of floral, plus secondary notes like herbal and a bit of iodine. None of the expected leather notes though. On the palate, the perfect balance continued, with the acidity still good, the tannins smooth but adding heft, and the dark red fruit pure and ripe. Very dry, it felt about medium bodied and the secondary notes included a bit of woodiness and there was some more herbal and a hint of tobacco. The smoothness continued through the finish, which remained fruity, but muted. This was excellent to drink on its own and even better with a mixed selection of cheese and charcuterie.
Niagara's Trius meritage blend was also from 1995. The nose was initially not very promising: quite closed and dark, with mainly wood and forest floor and no fruit. On the palate, it was much fuller bodied than the Bordeaux, with much more evident tannins. There was also a green note (not in a bad way) and the first hints of red fruit. However, as time went on, it really opened up and revealed a richness to the fruit the leaned toward ripe berries. The tannins, now counterbalanced more with the fruit, combined with the secondary notes including some spice to give it a great underpinning. There were some solid smoky/cigar notes too. The Trius also worked very well with the food and at times started to feel downright fruity. This was a terrific example of a wine evolving in the glass.
Both wines were decanted perhaps half an hour before the tasting. In the end the Bordeaux was favoured by the group - in my view it was more perfectly balanced - but the Niagara was in fact the more interesting experience given the impressive in-glass evolution.
Retrospectively, I'd give the Barde-Haut 92 and the Trius 90 points.
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