68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc 13% abv
Medium body, mature garnet colour. Delicate aroma of ripe black and blue fruits, spices’ box and oak background. Black currant and blueberry palate, following by velvety tannins, gentle acidity and lingering, plummy, still fresh finish. Complex and structured, but elegant, charm and perfectly balanced wine. Food friendly, well pairing to medium rare entrecote. Serve 18ºC - 20ºC. Open half an hour ahead. Drink now and for the next 6 years, perhaps longer.
Not bad. The nose is quite smoky, with Asian spices and a little dark chocolate, only a hint of fruit. On the palate, it's much the same - a certain silky elegance, some interesting spice and smoke character, but for now, only a smidgen of red berries in terms of fruit. I'm hopeful that the fruit will emerge in another couple of years. For now, it needs food.
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Enjoyed this at the local pub who allowed to BYO. Notes are perfunctory as it was a lively evening. Classic left bank claret with good fruit and complexity and still feeling quite primary. Great stuff.
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Coravin fun - Caronne Ste Gemme and Branaire Ducru (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Black hued fruits with a little savoury, meaty note and a touch of graphite/pencil shavings, cedar and slight wet tobacco, with time the fruit grows and ripens a little. Juicy, very slightly dilute black fruits married to chewy, woody, chalky tannins, a little wet tobacco and pencil shavings here as well, slight creaminess on the finish. Nice.
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Overall: decent wine, good complexity in the nose but a letdown on the palate. Probably right in its drinking window but with the acid and bright fruit may have another decade of development. The perceived acidity is high so I recommend pairing with food.
Appearance: ruby, fairly opaque
Nose: flinty mineral notes immediately present, fruit is integrated with underlying spice notes. Blackberry, raspberry, cinnamon, clove. After a few hours open I picked up something like corn tortillas which was interesting.
Palate: perceived acidity is high, which brings freshness. Tannins are velvety and integrated. Body is medium. This is not particularly fruity or ripe - it’s bright and then shows the beginning of the tertiary profile. Spices come through, with maybe some cherry and raspberry. There are subtle earthy tones as well.
Finish: medium, some woodiness, unobtrusive and pleasant
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Decanted and drank over two days. Medium body, nose a bit closed, with some dark fruit, palate on day one treated to some dark fruit and soil, acidity is quite noticeable - perhaps a function of the vintage. Day two the acidity overshadows the fruit and soil. This particular bottle suffered some warming during a shipment kerfuffle.
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Deep garnet red with purple reflexes. Almost at its apogee entering the perfect drinking window lots of blackberry blueberry cherry chocolate and mushroom. Full bodied with silky textured tannins and elegant long finish.
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First of a case, just entering its drinking window with a long (2-3 hour) decant. Fruit forward, with a slight pencil lead mid-palate and medium finish of woody underbrush. Looking forward to the rest of the case over the next few years
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1hr+ decant. Dark red color. Restrained nose with mild smoke and oak elements. Wine has medium depth and was just my style. Medium finish. Not as good as other vintages, but very enjoyable. It was just toned down in all facets.
Coravin fun - State of Play (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Quite austere on the nose after the 2004; pencil shavings and brambles initially. With time it grows riper and, well, jammier with plums and blackcurrants married to cedar and woody spices. That austerity translates to the palate with brambles backed by drying grainy textured tannins. On the finish it softens with an almost oat-meal creaminess and some plummy fruit. Pleasant enough but I think time will help.
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Paid $75. I was disappointed when I tasted it just after opening, however; after about an hour, it became an excellent Bordeaux. To follow what decanting does to a wine is amazing.
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Paid $69.00. Opened a 2005 at the same time. The 2008 is a very fine wine, but the 2005 (paid $85.00) was much more enjoyable. They both had the same great taste, it was just that the 2005 was more full bodied.
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Substantial, zaftig, cabernet-dominant claret in late primary phase. Somewhat monolithic upon opening, gentle oxidation over 72 hours makes it more congenial.
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PnP. Drank immediately after 2005 d'Armailhac, which was very nice. Ch. B. Ducru somewhat tart right out of the bottle, but settled in after an hour and even better the next day. Tannins need a bit more cellaring to settle in. Nose very nice with compote and hint of anise. Some promise in the future, will wait on the others i have for few years.
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In der Nase Sauerkirsche, Cassis, rote Johannisbeere, Leder, Tabak, Würznoten. Am Gaumen schlank und frisch mit einer gewissen Eleganz, die kühle Frucht ist etwas undifferenziert aber hat ein schönes Extrakt, mineralische Anklänge, Cabernet-Würze, das adstringierende Tannin ist gut integriert aber noch deutlich präsent. Trinkt sich heute schon gut, dürfte in 3-5 Jahren aber noch besser sein.
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On my 10th bottle, 2 left. Paid $75. With great Bordeaux, one drinks the bottle empty before it reaches its golden state. same with BD. It has a very pleasant sour cherry taste that mellows with decanting. I will try to buy more. Jeff Leve has the best description of the wine.
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First bottle from a six pack stored in cellar since release. Shy and primary. Tasted over a 5 hr period from decanter. Aromas and flavors played a game of hide and seek over that time. Little to no pleasure.
Recent tasting notes here suggest an evolutionary ebb, though none seemed as closed as mine. YMMV
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Elegant, refined and subdued, it takes some coaxing before the wine begins to open and show off its mocha, earth, spice, tobacco, cigar wrapper and cassis filled charms. Give this another 5 years for the remaining tannins to soften and this will be an even better treat. If you cannot wait 5 years, 2 hours in the decanter will work.
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Deep red color. Classic aromas of red currants, lead pencil wood spices. Ripe, well-structured fruit in the mouth with very good depth and length and well integrated tannins. Nicely full and suave on the palate. I found this delicious wine to be just now reaching its sweet spot of maturity and to be a very good value.
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Decanted for 1hr, but turned out unnecessary as this is drinking well now and will not evolve further. Medium ruby color. Pleasant perfumed, even elegant nose of bing cherry and new leather of medium intensity. Balanced acids and dissolved tannins with medium minus body and finish. Palate a little disappointing than nose, but still a very enjoyable wine for drinking now.
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Nice young Medoc I had aboard Cathay Pacific. I prefer them more aged but this was enjoyable and already had a bit of the leather taste that I'm used to with more age.
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This bottle was a little musty and not really in the Branaire style. However, it was definitely not flawed. There was still ample fruit, with black currant leading the way, along with cedar, pencil lead, leather, and coffee. It was better on the palate, showing nice focus and freshness. A finish with medium length and good acidity made this an overall nice wine. Definitely doesn't have the stuffing of the 2009 or 2010, however.
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I see 2008 as generally an underrated vintage, with many left bank wines offering wonderful drinking at every-day QPRs. This Branaire proved an exception with a muted nose, low concentration of fruit and no intensity whatsoever. Not a memorable experience
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Taste from Coravin; followed over 1hr. Shimmering transparent ruby color. Pencil lead, forest, earth, maybe a bit of leather. Juicy red fruit attack, soft and light mid-palate, and zippy, lengthy finish. Some moderate drying grip. Pretty, traditional and nuanced. Early maturity phase.
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Lovely example of Bordeaux. It has a restrained intensity in the fruit with blackberries, dark cherries and plums, with some cloves and spice. The tannins still need more time to integrate properly, so the wine comes across as a bit young. It drinks well now, but will definitely get better over the next few years.
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It has the character both the chateau's and terroir's typical style. Impressed on its earthiness and strength. It showed on branaire's own style without decanted, you should try same basis if you wanna feel both firm structure and rounded tannins
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Not sure I get this wine. A lot of pencil shavings and graphite on the palate. I can taste the pencil. Some mineral and earth. Very little fruit at this point and not sure how much is hiding back there.
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Decant almost an hour. Seems a bit closed with subtle aroma of leather / earth. Dark fruit and cassis on the palate with round edges and pleasant finish. I think will improve with time, try again in a year.
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4 hour decant coaxed some focused mineral aromatics. The palate is elegant, supple and juicy with more pencil shavings and earth than black currant fruit. Classic in style but a touch austere.
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A pretty thin nose which is curiously alcoholic at first. Some red fruits and minerals but something is clearly missing here. Taste is quite mundane. Undistinguished and lifeless in the context of 2008 Cru Classé Bordeaux. I'm a fan of this often criticized vintage but this wine doesn't float my boat. It's not at all undrinkable, but it's far from what it should be.
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WFA - 2008 Bordeaux Horizontal (Suntec Convention Hall): The soft, expressive aromas is fresh and dominated by mineral but also with light pungent alcohol spices. Another wine that drinking quite well already, quite simple on the palate, cheesy, some dark fruits and mineral, medium length finish that quite soft. 84-85
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Lean and somewhat closed nose; pointed, slightly tannic, sweetish, nice depth; long aftertaste; very nice with good potential. Currently requires a couple of hours to open up.
This wine is showing pretty well at less than 3 years of age... Dark purple color with some garnet hue. An overtone of supple and nutty bouquet, a little gamey with black pepper, cedar, tobacco, mocha, dark chocolate, spice box and graphite, surrounding aromas of black currant, blackberry, black cherry, jam and black licorice. Full body. Blackberry, cherry and plum on the attack, lost a little concentration on the mid-palate, followed by some ultra-fine tannin, bright and fresh acidity forming a solid structure. Great length with well-balanced effort, chewy tannin accompanying long-lasting fruit and acidity on the finish. Quite approachable now with couple hours of decanting, or lay it down till after 2012.
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2008 Bordeaux: i liked this much more than the group which had this in last place. The nose was a bit more open and already showing a bit of funk, which I like. Also some cassis. I thought it had a nice, juicy texture. A bit tannic and the acidity made the fruit seem more like boysenberries. Slightly clipped on the finish. As I said, I liked this and think there is plenty there to suggest more development.
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Tasted at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - LCBO Taste and Buy event - Feb 25, 2001 - 2008 vintage. Limited notes as tasted some 30 wines. Nose - 90. Palette - 90.
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Cassis, cocoa powder, chocolate, earth and cinnamon make up the intriguing perfume. Elegant, supple and already approachable, the wine ends with a strong, sweet cassis and spice filled finish.
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UGC 2008 Bordeaux (The Drake, Chicago IL): nose: very elegant and filling nose of red fruits, berries, red cherries, cedar and tobacco. Very tight and it was taking a bit to get much from it
taste: really lovely and silky medium/full feel with very chewy tannins that are a bit unforgiving right now. While hidden by tannins, there are very good tones of red fruits, red cherries, cedar and tobacco tones
overall: this needs a lot of time. It isn't showing much right now, but there is a lot to like underneath all of the tightness and tannins
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Tasting (The Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA): There is lovely elegance to the aromas of candied berries and sweet herbs. The palate is more restrained than I expected with juicy red fruits and deft structure. I really love the balance of this wine as the fruit is dense while elegant and the tannin-acid interplay presents a great texture. Maybe not showing a lot of character at this point but it will with age.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting (Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California): Deep-to-opaque purple/ruby robe with violet rim. Beautiful, intense nose of lavender, black plum, fig and hazelnut. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity. The tannins are generous but a bit coarse at this point. The flavors are luscious and are black fruit-dominated. A solid middle palate leads to a long, albeit mildly astringent finish. This infant needs some time, but has great potential. Drink 1/16-12/30.
Union Des Grand Cru of Bordeaux Tasting San Francisco, nose of black fruit, cranberry, cedar, cigar box, and allspice, same on the palate, very tasty but shows a medium but tart body, needs 4 years to peak, medium/long finish.
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Cassis, elegant and not extremely full bodied. Pleasant smoky impressions as well. Although I am not extremely impressed at the moment, this will probably develop into a very nice wine. Next try in 2015. 90+
Bright red. Aromas. Ripe cherry, vanilla, stone, pepper, cough syrup, and flowers. Less expressive than the 2009 (just fined), so may get better. Nice balance between acid, tannins, alcohol, and fruit. Long ripe fine tannic finish.
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08 Château Branaire Ducru consists of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, and 2% petit verdot. Deep ruby with hints of purple at the rim, the wine features a delicate perfume of boysenberry, tobacco, mocha, and earth. Elegantly styled with ripe tannins, and softly textured, the wine finishes with polished, blackberry flavors. 91-94 Pts
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Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): Great focus on the nose and palate, red cranberry and cassis. Some floral elements with just a hint of dark chocolate. Very nice job here. 90-92+
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5/14/2024 - vlzat Likes this wine: 92 Points
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc
13% abv
Medium body, mature garnet colour. Delicate aroma of ripe black and blue fruits, spices’ box and oak background. Black currant and blueberry palate, following by velvety tannins, gentle acidity and lingering, plummy, still fresh finish. Complex and structured, but elegant, charm and perfectly balanced wine. Food friendly, well pairing to medium rare entrecote. Serve 18ºC - 20ºC. Open half an hour ahead. Drink now and for the next 6 years, perhaps longer.
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1/22/2024 - CGandur Likes this wine:
Very nice, lovely drinking, In the zone, will not improve. Drink now/soon
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12/16/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not bad. The nose is quite smoky, with Asian spices and a little dark chocolate, only a hint of fruit. On the palate, it's much the same - a certain silky elegance, some interesting spice and smoke character, but for now, only a smidgen of red berries in terms of fruit. I'm hopeful that the fruit will emerge in another couple of years. For now, it needs food.
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9/1/2023 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyed this at the local pub who allowed to BYO. Notes are perfunctory as it was a lively evening. Classic left bank claret with good fruit and complexity and still feeling quite primary. Great stuff.
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4/12/2023 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Caronne Ste Gemme and Branaire Ducru (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Black hued fruits with a little savoury, meaty note and a touch of graphite/pencil shavings, cedar and slight wet tobacco, with time the fruit grows and ripens a little. Juicy, very slightly dilute black fruits married to chewy, woody, chalky tannins, a little wet tobacco and pencil shavings here as well, slight creaminess on the finish. Nice.
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4/11/2023 - brybts Likes this wine: 87 Points
Overall: decent wine, good complexity in the nose but a letdown on the palate. Probably right in its drinking window but with the acid and bright fruit may have another decade of development. The perceived acidity is high so I recommend pairing with food.
Appearance: ruby, fairly opaque
Nose: flinty mineral notes immediately present, fruit is integrated with underlying spice notes. Blackberry, raspberry, cinnamon, clove. After a few hours open I picked up something like corn tortillas which was interesting.
Palate: perceived acidity is high, which brings freshness. Tannins are velvety and integrated. Body is medium. This is not particularly fruity or ripe - it’s bright and then shows the beginning of the tertiary profile. Spices come through, with maybe some cherry and raspberry. There are subtle earthy tones as well.
Finish: medium, some woodiness, unobtrusive and pleasant
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9/16/2022 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dekantert. Meget pen på nese og munn fra første glass. Balanse. Utvikler seg til en nydelig vin.
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8/16/2022 - ThalesGaspar Likes this wine: 92 Points
From magnum, nice nose, very round and easy drinking, medium finish. Ready to drink.
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1/9/2022 - Miceri Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark red; nice, intense classic Bordeaux nose, cedar, vanilla, elegant; intense, rounded, open, soft and nice; nice lingering aftertaste; really pleasant and nice; harmony
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7/28/2021 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ikke dekantert. Klassiker. Er der.
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5/20/2021 - ChristoBretts wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and drank over two days. Medium body, nose a bit closed, with some dark fruit, palate on day one treated to some dark fruit and soil, acidity is quite noticeable - perhaps a function of the vintage. Day two the acidity overshadows the fruit and soil. This particular bottle suffered some warming during a shipment kerfuffle.
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4/23/2021 - The_Cat Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep garnet red with purple reflexes. Almost at its apogee entering the perfect drinking window lots of blackberry blueberry cherry chocolate and mushroom. Full bodied with silky textured tannins and elegant long finish.
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4/20/2021 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to the 7/9/19 bottle.
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3/10/2021 - glassofhans Likes this wine: 90 Points
Muted, Austere, opens up after a while, decent SJ
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2/7/2021 - bacchusnyon wrote: 90 Points
First of a case, just entering its drinking window with a long (2-3 hour) decant. Fruit forward, with a slight pencil lead mid-palate and medium finish of woody underbrush. Looking forward to the rest of the case over the next few years
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9/5/2020 - PMJak11 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Weak vintage showed true.
1hr+ decant. Dark red color. Restrained nose with mild smoke and oak elements. Wine has medium depth and was just my style. Medium finish. Not as good as other vintages, but very enjoyable. It was just toned down in all facets.
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7/23/2020 - Vine Likes this wine: 92 Points
A feminine wine. Understated. Perhaps a tad light reflecting the vintage. Ready to drink and just lovely. Subtle decadence.
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7/16/2020 - popopdrops wrote: 90 Points
Ikke dekantert. Pen til å være en St. julien. Også dag 2.
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6/28/2020 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - State of Play (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Quite austere on the nose after the 2004; pencil shavings and brambles initially. With time it grows riper and, well, jammier with plums and blackcurrants married to cedar and woody spices. That austerity translates to the palate with brambles backed by drying grainy textured tannins. On the finish it softens with an almost oat-meal creaminess and some plummy fruit. Pleasant enough but I think time will help.
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4/18/2020 - jonflo wrote: 90 Points
Needed time in decant
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3/28/2020 - garywonghk Likes this wine: 90 Points
dark ruby, blackberry aromas with hints of spice, leather & oak, balanced & elegant, medium bodied, tannin and acidity.
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3/20/2020 - VAGentleman wrote: 90 Points
Nice traditional Saint Julien. Ready but still early in prime drinking window. Dark fruit with bit of forest and tartness
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2/28/2020 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Similar to the 7/9/19 bottle and delicious with the outstanding food at June BYOB Restaurant.
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1/19/2020 - PSanDiego Likes this wine: 96 Points
Paid $75. I was disappointed when I tasted it just after opening, however; after about an hour, it became an excellent Bordeaux. To follow what decanting does to a wine is amazing.
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12/2/2019 - PSanDiego Likes this wine: 93 Points
Paid $69.00. Opened a 2005 at the same time. The 2008 is a very fine wine, but the 2005 (paid $85.00) was much more enjoyable. They both had the same great taste, it was just that the 2005 was more full bodied.
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9/6/2019 - tversky wrote: 93 Points
Substantial, zaftig, cabernet-dominant claret in late primary phase. Somewhat monolithic upon opening, gentle oxidation over 72 hours makes it more congenial.
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8/18/2019 - ChristoBretts wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Drank immediately after 2005 d'Armailhac, which was very nice. Ch. B. Ducru somewhat tart right out of the bottle, but settled in after an hour and even better the next day. Tannins need a bit more cellaring to settle in. Nose very nice with compote and hint of anise. Some promise in the future, will wait on the others i have for few years.
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7/11/2019 - jcrives Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding bordeaux...should drink well for years to come
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7/9/2019 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
This bottle was more complex and integrated and longer on the palate than the 7/26/18 bottle.
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4/10/2019 - pinotwok Likes this wine: 90 Points
In der Nase Sauerkirsche, Cassis, rote Johannisbeere, Leder, Tabak, Würznoten. Am Gaumen schlank und frisch mit einer gewissen Eleganz, die kühle Frucht ist etwas undifferenziert aber hat ein schönes Extrakt, mineralische Anklänge, Cabernet-Würze, das adstringierende Tannin ist gut integriert aber noch deutlich präsent. Trinkt sich heute schon gut, dürfte in 3-5 Jahren aber noch besser sein.
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12/16/2018 - PSanDiego Likes this wine: 95 Points
On my 10th bottle, 2 left. Paid $75. With great Bordeaux, one drinks the bottle empty before it reaches its golden state. same with BD. It has a very pleasant sour cherry taste that mellows with decanting. I will try to buy more. Jeff Leve has the best description of the wine.
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10/28/2018 - Redguy wrote:
First bottle from a six pack stored in cellar since release. Shy and primary. Tasted over a 5 hr period from decanter. Aromas and flavors played a game of hide and seek over that time. Little to no pleasure.
Recent tasting notes here suggest an evolutionary ebb, though none seemed as closed as mine. YMMV
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9/17/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Elegant, refined and subdued, it takes some coaxing before the wine begins to open and show off its mocha, earth, spice, tobacco, cigar wrapper and cassis filled charms. Give this another 5 years for the remaining tannins to soften and this will be an even better treat. If you cannot wait 5 years, 2 hours in the decanter will work.
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7/26/2018 - hsacks Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep red color. Classic aromas of red currants, lead pencil wood spices. Ripe, well-structured fruit in the mouth with very good depth and length and well integrated tannins. Nicely full and suave on the palate. I found this delicious wine to be just now reaching its sweet spot of maturity and to be a very good value.
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5/28/2018 - Fruitsrouges Likes this wine: 89 Points
Decanted for 1hr, but turned out unnecessary as this is drinking well now and will not evolve further. Medium ruby color. Pleasant perfumed, even elegant nose of bing cherry and new leather of medium intensity. Balanced acids and dissolved tannins with medium minus body and finish. Palate a little disappointing than nose, but still a very enjoyable wine for drinking now.
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1/2/2018 - steinsberg Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice but very mutet nose, the palate clearly on the fresher and thinner side.
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7/12/2017 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice young Medoc I had aboard Cathay Pacific. I prefer them more aged but this was enjoyable and already had a bit of the leather taste that I'm used to with more age.
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7/7/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was a little musty and not really in the Branaire style. However, it was definitely not flawed. There was still ample fruit, with black currant leading the way, along with cedar, pencil lead, leather, and coffee. It was better on the palate, showing nice focus and freshness. A finish with medium length and good acidity made this an overall nice wine. Definitely doesn't have the stuffing of the 2009 or 2010, however.
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5/21/2017 - MrBrege wrote: 88 Points
I see 2008 as generally an underrated vintage, with many left bank wines offering wonderful drinking at every-day QPRs. This Branaire proved an exception with a muted nose, low concentration of fruit and no intensity whatsoever. Not a memorable experience
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3/11/2017 - Bordeauxlord Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ready now, drunk up!
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12/31/2016 - Bob Sacamano Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Showed pretty poorly following 2+ hour decant. Nose a little shy and palate mostly flat. Bummer.
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12/27/2016 - Bob Sacamano Likes this wine: 92 Points
Taste from Coravin; followed over 1hr. Shimmering transparent ruby color. Pencil lead, forest, earth, maybe a bit of leather. Juicy red fruit attack, soft and light mid-palate, and zippy, lengthy finish. Some moderate drying grip. Pretty, traditional and nuanced. Early maturity phase.
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11/18/2016 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 91 Points
(Decanter FWE 2016) :: Quite rounded, expressive and balanced, though showing a bit of a green note. Good "bite" on the palate; medium bodied.
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7/3/2016 - Andrew67 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely example of Bordeaux. It has a restrained intensity in the fruit with blackberries, dark cherries and plums, with some cloves and spice. The tannins still need more time to integrate properly, so the wine comes across as a bit young. It drinks well now, but will definitely get better over the next few years.
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2/15/2016 - O'Meara wrote:
Still primary even after 2hr decant. Grippy. Good depth despite youth. Nice juice, but adolescent for a year or two.
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3/30/2015 - lovechad Likes this wine: 90 Points
It has the character both the chateau's and terroir's typical style. Impressed on its earthiness and strength. It showed on branaire's own style without decanted, you should try same basis if you wanna feel both firm structure and rounded tannins
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9/14/2014 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted 2.5 hours before drinking. Lovely garnet color.
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9/8/2014 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine:
Drank at a restaurant so no formal note.
Probably preferred to the Grand Puy Lacoste 2008 consumed two days earlier.
Very smooth with well integrated tannins. The one hour decant seemed a good idea and recommended at this early stage.
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5/7/2014 - PCVT wrote: 92 Points
Beaucoup de matière et bonne longueur en bouche.
Celà peut encore un peu s'affiner mais déjà très bon avec une bonne viande ou du gibier
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4/26/2014 - richardkim wrote: 86 Points
Medium body. Flavors are dominated by firm acidity.
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12/6/2013 - TC16 wrote:
Not sure I get this wine. A lot of pencil shavings and graphite on the palate. I can taste the pencil. Some mineral and earth. Very little fruit at this point and not sure how much is hiding back there.
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9/9/2013 - tonybona wrote:
Decant almost an hour. Seems a bit closed with subtle aroma of leather / earth. Dark fruit and cassis on the palate with round edges and pleasant finish. I think will improve with time, try again in a year.
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1/6/2013 - hubas wrote: 90 Points
Quite mature its a very good wine with good balance and a very nice and elegant aftertaste
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11/11/2012 - PlanetX wrote: 90 Points
4 hour decant coaxed some focused mineral aromatics. The palate is elegant, supple and juicy with more pencil shavings and earth than black currant fruit. Classic in style but a touch austere.
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9/4/2012 - HenrikJ wrote: 75 Points
A pretty thin nose which is curiously alcoholic at first. Some red fruits and minerals but something is clearly missing here. Taste is quite mundane. Undistinguished and lifeless in the context of 2008 Cru Classé Bordeaux. I'm a fan of this often criticized vintage but this wine doesn't float my boat. It's not at all undrinkable, but it's far from what it should be.
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5/3/2012 - vespasian wrote: 91 Points
A little shy though this displays some nice aromatics; good texture and density for a 2008, nice fruit. Very good indeed. 91+
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4/10/2012 - EMichels wrote: 91 Points
Another nice nose; Relatively muted palatte
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10/28/2011 - Sleepy Dave wrote: 84 Points
WFA - 2008 Bordeaux Horizontal (Suntec Convention Hall): The soft, expressive aromas is fresh and dominated by mineral but also with light pungent alcohol spices. Another wine that drinking quite well already, quite simple on the palate, cheesy, some dark fruits and mineral, medium length finish that quite soft. 84-85
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10/27/2011 - Alex H wrote: 87 Points
Soft feminine floral ladies scented bath shower foam. Silky mouthfeel of round currants and blueberries. Delicious. A tad sexy.
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8/8/2011 - Miceri wrote: 92 Points
Lean and somewhat closed nose; pointed, slightly tannic, sweetish, nice depth; long aftertaste; very nice with good potential. Currently requires a couple of hours to open up.
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6/6/2011 - dxpian Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is showing pretty well at less than 3 years of age... Dark purple color with some garnet hue. An overtone of supple and nutty bouquet, a little gamey with black pepper, cedar, tobacco, mocha, dark chocolate, spice box and graphite, surrounding aromas of black currant, blackberry, black cherry, jam and black licorice. Full body. Blackberry, cherry and plum on the attack, lost a little concentration on the mid-palate, followed by some ultra-fine tannin, bright and fresh acidity forming a solid structure. Great length with well-balanced effort, chewy tannin accompanying long-lasting fruit and acidity on the finish. Quite approachable now with couple hours of decanting, or lay it down till after 2012.
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5/25/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
2008 Bordeaux: i liked this much more than the group which had this in last place. The nose was a bit more open and already showing a bit of funk, which I like. Also some cassis. I thought it had a nice, juicy texture. A bit tannic and the acidity made the fruit seem more like boysenberries. Slightly clipped on the finish. As I said, I liked this and think there is plenty there to suggest more development.
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5/4/2011 - vespasian wrote: 91 Points
Nice nose with good definition. Pure, with good intensity; elegant, nice flavours. A lighter format but very enjoyable. Well-made. Lovely finish.
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3/12/2011 - Jhcwine wrote: 90 Points
Tasted at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - LCBO Taste and Buy event - Feb 25, 2001 - 2008 vintage. Limited notes as tasted some 30 wines. Nose - 90. Palette - 90.
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1/28/2011 - ews3 wrote: 94 Points
Union des Grand Crus 2008 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC (Metropolitan Pavilion, NYC): very traditionally styled. a little graphite, nice black fruit. well integrated oak. med tannin. everything in the right place. really enjoyed. med(+) finish.
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1/28/2011 - tkoby11 wrote: 90 Points
2008 Vintage Tasting Union Des Grand Crus de Bordeaux, Great Wines of Bordeaux, USA Tour New York City (Metropolitan Pavilion): A pretty wine with elegant textures and purity to the red fruits and a zesty freshness. Good length and texture on the palate and the finish.
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1/28/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Cassis, cocoa powder, chocolate, earth and cinnamon make up the intriguing perfume. Elegant, supple and already approachable, the wine ends with a strong, sweet cassis and spice filled finish.
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1/26/2011 - hutch wrote: 89 Points
UGC Bordeaux Tasting (Boston): Sweeter fruit. Sweet fruit with hints of pencil. Very good. 88-90
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1/25/2011 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 (Toronto - The Four Seasons): UGC Event
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1/24/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
UGC 2008 Bordeaux (The Drake, Chicago IL): nose: very elegant and filling nose of red fruits, berries, red cherries, cedar and tobacco. Very tight and it was taking a bit to get much from it
taste: really lovely and silky medium/full feel with very chewy tannins that are a bit unforgiving right now. While hidden by tannins, there are very good tones of red fruits, red cherries, cedar and tobacco tones
overall: this needs a lot of time. It isn't showing much right now, but there is a lot to like underneath all of the tightness and tannins
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1/24/2011 - razmaspaz wrote:
UGC Chicago Bordeaux 2008 Vintage: same tannins as beychevelle but not as pulpy. More of the suffocating nose, this is very well integrated.
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1/22/2011 - Badfish wrote: 91 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Tasting (The Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA): There is lovely elegance to the aromas of candied berries and sweet herbs. The palate is more restrained than I expected with juicy red fruits and deft structure. I really love the balance of this wine as the fruit is dense while elegant and the tannin-acid interplay presents a great texture. Maybe not showing a lot of character at this point but it will with age.
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1/22/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2008 Vintage Tasting (Santa Monica Airport Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California): Deep-to-opaque purple/ruby robe with violet rim. Beautiful, intense nose of lavender, black plum, fig and hazelnut. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity. The tannins are generous but a bit coarse at this point. The flavors are luscious and are black fruit-dominated. A solid middle palate leads to a long, albeit mildly astringent finish. This infant needs some time, but has great potential. Drink 1/16-12/30.
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1/22/2011 - MattTM wrote:
Union des Grands Grus 2008 Bordeaux Tasting (Barker Hanger, Santa Monica): Oak, tart cherry, currents, and an interesting rubber note coming through on the nose. Tart plum, raspberry, and coffee bean on the palette. Medium finish, ending with tart cherry.
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1/21/2011 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Union Des Grand Cru of Bordeaux Tasting San Francisco, nose of black fruit, cranberry, cedar, cigar box, and allspice, same on the palate, very tasty but shows a medium but tart body, needs 4 years to peak, medium/long finish.
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1/21/2011 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
2011 UGC Bordeaux Tasting: 2008 Vintage (Palace Hotel, San Francisco, California): Dark red violet color; cassis, cedar, coffee nose; tasty, tart cassis, coffee, cedar palate; medium finish (68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot)
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1/21/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 85 Points
UGC 2008 Bordeaux Tasting (Palate Hotel, SF): Lovely mineral nose, but palate is thin and watery. Some fruit but not enough.
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12/9/2010 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Cassis, elegant and not extremely full bodied. Pleasant smoky impressions as well. Although I am not extremely impressed at the moment, this will probably develop into a very nice wine. Next try in 2015. 90+
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11/24/2010 - Philippe_C wrote: 92 Points
Light nose of vanilla, leather and tobacco... in th mouth, very silky tannins, ripe red fruit, mushrooms, fresh and crisp fruit, sweet tannins
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3/28/2010 - Beachrooster Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright red. Aromas. Ripe cherry, vanilla, stone, pepper, cough syrup, and flowers. Less expressive than the 2009 (just fined), so may get better. Nice balance between acid, tannins, alcohol, and fruit. Long ripe fine tannic finish.
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9/1/2009 - admid wrote: 83 Points
Purple
Aroma: Vanilla and sweeetish green grass
Woodish palate with a touch of mocca.
Medium length
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8/31/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
08 Château Branaire Ducru consists of 68% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, and 2% petit verdot. Deep ruby with hints of purple at the rim, the wine features a delicate perfume of boysenberry, tobacco, mocha, and earth. Elegantly styled with ripe tannins, and softly textured, the wine finishes with polished, blackberry flavors. 91-94 Pts
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6/1/2009 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bordeaux 2008 (Bordeaux): Great focus on the nose and palate, red cranberry and cassis. Some floral elements with just a hint of dark chocolate. Very nice job here. 90-92+
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