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THE MESSAGE 26 / the tasting panel / november 2014 Over 300 Years of Passion and History W hat threatened to be just another average Tuesday turned into a real treat when Patrick Maroteaux, co-owner and President of the illustrious Château Branaire-Ducru, visited us at THE TASTING PANEL offices. To make the visit even more delightful, he brought with him bottles of the 2006 Château Branaire-Ducru and 2006 Duluc de Branaire- Ducru—the second wine of the château. From its purchase by Jean-Baptiste Braneyre in 1680, for almost 250 years, the estate grew and flourished—it was classified as a Quatrième Cru (Fourth Growth) in the 1855 classification—and they added "Ducru" to their name in 1856 as the family grew. The 50-hectare Saint-Julien estate was purchased by Maroteaux in 1988. Maroteaux and family began instituting what has become their signature philosophy of "freshness, fruit and finesse" in the wines of Branaire-Ducru, bringing the history and stat- ure of the property to a new level of prestige. To this day, the wines of Branaire-Ducru stand as pure expressions of the fruit and terroir of Saint-Julien—always choosing elegance over power—wines that are sure to bring pleasure. —Karen Moneymaker Patrick Maroteaux, co-owner and President of Château Branaire-Ducru at THE TASTING PANEL's offices. PHOTO: BRIAN KUSTERA Christopher Kimball (left) of America's Test Kitchen and Carolyn Wente (right), Fourth Generation Winegrower for Wente Family Estates. Welcoming the Holidays A s we approach the holiday season, many of us begin to think about slowing down and reflecting on the year we've had. We also start to look forward to spending quality time with family and friends. Quite often, quality time involves lively conversation around the dinner table with good food and wine. For me personally, my connection to food and wine has always been strong. I have many wonderful childhood memories of making meals with my mother in the kitchen. This turned into a real passion for me that eventually lead me to become a cook, co-author a cookbook and start The Restaurant at my family winery. I love to garden and harvest the fruits of my labor by creating memorable dishes for family and friends. Given my love for food and wine, Wente Vineyards paired up this year with America's Test Kitchen to bring you the very best in holiday recipes, wine pairings tips and more. We know the holidays can be stressful for many, but our goal is to remove any stress when it comes to holiday entertaining and make it even more enjoyable. We hope people can take our tips to create crowd-pleasing holiday recipes in their own kitchens and to better understand how to choose the perfect wine pairing. For proven recipes by the experts from America's Test Kitchen and wine pairings recom- mendations, visit wentevineyards.com/holidays. Happy Holidays! Carolyn Wente Fourth Generation Winegrower Wente Family Estates PHOTO COURTESY OF AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN VOICE OF FIVE GENERATIONS