1995 Chateau Tour St. Bonnet Médoc

a gift from a friend, this bordeaux has been laying for about 6 months in my cellar, much longer in my friends cellar. special occasions should warrant special wines. with a move to a new city in the near future, i wanted to celebrate. this was purchased a long time ago for about $6-10. a bargain at the time. 1995 was one of those banner years for bordeaux. i was honored to receive this as a gift. the nose was fruity, floral, earthy mushroom and cedar. the fruit aromas came forth further as the wine opened up. on the palate, raspberry flavors came through followed by some very nice earthy notes. this was a beautifully delicate wine with subtle characteristics that changed a grew as the wine opened. very firm tannins softened nicely with air and the fruit flavors burst through. mushroom and damp forest floor notes also came through. exceptional alone or with food (we had pork ribs and corn on the cob), this was a beautiful wine. not sure if this can be found today, and you would be paying a premium for it. but the 2000 and 2005 bottles are available and the '05 can be purchased for a reasonable $20-25.