Community Tasting Notes 125

• ankitmehra Likes this wine: 94 points

  April 24, 2024 - Perhaps an imbibed decision to open this after a bottle of Morey-Saint-Denis at dinner, but after reading about the vinification changes Château Branaire-Ducru have undergone since the 1990s, I was eager to try a bottle from that period. Enjoying many of the bottles I've tried from the 1995 vintage, it was a no-brainer when I saw this bottle for sale and that confidence was rewarded after a 30 minute decant last night. The 1995 Château Branaire-Ducru opened up wonderfully, drinking younger than anticipated and boasting a lot of power over the course of two hours. The nose medlied lots of classic Bordeaux qualities as blackcurrants, cigar box, pencil shavings and a hint of smoke all came together. The fruit was singing as the upfront was packed with blackberries and even a hint of rhubarb before the mid-palate moved into a backbone of cedar wood, licorice and a hint of earthiness. The power of this bottle was well represented in the finish as notes of crème de cassis and meatiness came across an elongated finish that boasted racy acidity.

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• paulst Likes this wine: 93 points

  November 22, 2023 - Lean fruit; some light blackberry and earth; textured; elegant finish.

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• chatters wrote:

  April 12, 2023 - Coravin fun - Caronne Ste Gemme and Branaire Ducru (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Leather, blackcurrant, a little cigar box, gentlemen's club, spice, fresh earth. Medium plus intensity acidity, black fruits, meaty underpin, tannins are drying, coarse flour textured and slightly woody, and persist long with the fruit…perhaps they are slightly too big for the fruit in fact. Pleasant enough

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• paulst Likes this wine: 93 points

  May 27, 2022 - Earth with rubber; resolved tannin; lean sweet blackberry-raisin with crusty sweet finish.

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• Nohedes wrote: 91 points

  March 7, 2022 - Decanted c30 mins before serving, just a light sediment and still relatively youthful in colour. Little bit musty on the nose at first, but that quickly blew off and left a smooth, slightly forest floor vibe with classic claret wood/pencil and some hedgerow fruit. Palate was quite fresh, didn’t get too much of the mushroom mentioned below. Very enjoyable, developed further through the evening but has become rather sour by day 2, so my advice would be drink up and do your best to see if the bottle on the same day (no hardship there!).

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Pro Reviews 4

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1995
• Type Red
• Producer Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Bordeaux
• SubRegion Médoc
• Appellation St. Julien
• UPC Codes 000000144018, 3300780074695, 3364420020633

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 12 (1%)
• In Cellars 1,072 (55%)
• Consumed 876 (45%)

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