2004 Barde-Haut, St-Emilion

This St. Emilion is drinking perfectly right now. If you like the richer style of the right bank, but can do without the excess alcohol, I think you will love this very fairly priced 2004 from Barde Haut. It is spicy, full bodied and still has plenty of plummy, dark fruit in the middle. This is a perfect pairing for skirt steak on the grill, or for a more sophisticated dish like beef Wellington.

This excellent Saint-Emilion Grand Cru estate is renowned for its wonderful clay and limestone terroir, superb viticultural practices and skilled winemaking expertise, all apparent in this bottle of beautifully mature and elegant wine. Exuberantly rich Merlot aromatics cavort in the glass, displaying an impressive, fleshy palate of deep cherry and blackberry fruit with vanilla nuances, followed by a measure of stony minerality and taut acidity on the long, lovely finish. I rarely quote Robert Parker, but he wrote this wine was a "sleeper of the vintage". Well, it's about time to wake a bottle up. Please suffer the indulgence and enjoy!