Popped and poured. Bouquet was a tad unyielding at first but revealed hints of tobacco, cedar and dark fruit. Medium bodied with good acidity and balance. A delicious wine with a solid finish. At a lovely point in it's maturity but I do not believe it has a few rather than many years ahead of it.
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Nothing much has changed over the past year. This is still exceptionally balanced and a pleasure to drink. No need to wait but it’ll last another 10+ easily.
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From mag and decanted an hour. Truth be told not sure it needed a decant. These 99s are a crowd pleaser. Still great fruit and not much tannins. Never met a Ducru I didn’t like!
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Really delicious. Fuller bodied and riper than expected. Delicious primary blackcurrant and cassis, with saddle leather, cedar wood and dried rose petals behind. Good acidity gives lift. Long and complex. Drinking beautifully now and will continue to develop for many years.
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Deep, dark ruby with no sign of color degradation. Cocoa-dusted blackberries with red berries with white pepper on the nose. Somewhat thin-bodied on the front palate with red berry notes followed quickly by strong blackberry cobbler and yellow cake notes (not uranium). Raspberries and a confectionary note are also in the mix. Delicious.
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This bottle came out a bit more dense and adding a little bit more weight, a classy St Julien of course, slightly darker, a bit young and closed this time!
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Upon opening, black licorice and espresso on the nose. A bit of tobacco and cassis, accented by baking spice. Medium body on the palate with moderate acidity and nicely integrated tannin. It’s very polished and enjoyable now. That said, a few more years would do this bottle good. Try again in 3. Great stuff!
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This could have used a bit more decant time (probably had 90 min) but still drinking well. Enticing nose of fruit and tobacco, tannins silky and smooth, plenty of acid. Noticed the abv more than I expected so that was to only thing that prevented it from being really great. I still think this wine has plenty more cellar time for my palate.
This is not a top vintage of Ducru as it lacks some heft and complexity but it possesses great silky purity and just flows over the tongue with classic flavors of dark fruits, smoky cedar and graphite minerals. This is a perfect time to drink this beautiful wine which is so smooth and refined. A great showing!
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1.5 hour decant. good drinking period. opened up well. tobacco, wet leaves, oolong tea, cedar, pencil lead. fine and elegant rather than powerful. quite simple. moderate finish. not a showstopper but still good
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This bottle has lovely lush red fruit and plenty of secondary development and refinement but this bottle has a bit of a hole in the mid-palate and a slightly under-ripe note. The overall package was very satisfying and this wine is well in the drinking window but deserves two points less than last time, when I didn’t encounter that air pocket.
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First bottle from a case. Fully mature, refined, elegant, harmonious, understated but a complete wine. So easy going, so effortlessly classy. I suspect this has been drinking well for at least five years and it may not have the structure to last for many more decades. So a really useful Ducru to drink whilst waiting on your 1996s and 2000s (the 1995 is starting to drink very well). After the mishaps of the late 1980s Ducru was on top form in the late 90s and this is a good example. This is the top wine in St-Julien in 1999 and probably top five wines of the vintage in Bordeaux.
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Consistent with last year, this is in its prime drinking window. It is a surprisingly delicate wine with blackberry, leather, and cedar prominent. Everything is well balanced and the tannin has softened sufficiently but it lacks the depth and complexity of the more prestigious vintages. However, it is a very enjoyable drink which needs minimal time in the decanter, and should stay here for the next five years or so.
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Seems to be at peak evolution, as change day by day over 36 hours was not significant. Not fully tertiary in flavor, it still has some strong fruit components, but those are carried along by more rustic flavors. Quite honestly, a little underwhelming, but a fine bottle in any case.
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Lightly brick/garnet edge. Ruby core. Cassis, ripe red fruit, woody and a touch of green character on the nose. Medium body on the palate, well balanced, tannins are light to medium and the finish is pleasantly long. This is great but not incredible. Drinkly well right now and likely has 5-10 more years of enjoyment.
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Blind verkostet. Nette Frucht, mittel komplex, Kirsche aber irgendwie baut der Wein keinen Druck auf. Liegt ohne Spannung im Glas. Abgang mittel. Austrinken
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So glad this has come round and is now a v classic St Julien. Super nose with lots of cigar box and then a rich rounded palate with well integrated tannin and superb balance. Not a blockbuster but very fine claret
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A pleasant wine which is fully mature, but without the refinement of a typical Ducru Beaucaillou. The nose is very full with blackcurrent, plum, and hints of raspberry, and holds great promise. However, on the palate it is a little one dimensional, but with a decent depth and finish, albeit leaving acrid overtones. This is drinking at its peak, but has a structure to stay here for a few years.
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The nose showed dark earth tones up front with hints of animal musk and spicy dried florals, as the ‘99 seemed to gain further richness and dimension the longer it stayed in the glass. On the palate, I found a lean expression with taught textures given life through a wave of zesty acidity, showing dried dark red fruits and hints of savory herbs. The finish was long and spicy with a bitter twang of residual tannin lingering on.
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Continue to be improwith this somewhat unheralded vintage...While we placed both in decanter upon opening, it hardly needed as wines were fresh and aromatic from the get go...
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3h after decanting it was a mature and powerful wine. Maybe another 5 years, but I think it is near the peak now. Typical for left bank with earthy, leather and chocolate aromes.
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Note from Clio summs this up v well. The first few of these have been a little on the disappointing side vs the reputation but this has now developed into a great Bordeaux. Tannins well integrated, good cedar nose and lovely complexity.
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Very Good. I have been holding on to this for some time. It is drinking great. The nose is not pronounced, but flavors of dark fruits and earth are amazing. The tannins have mellowed. I opened it for a tasting with a 2001 Pauillac and a 2000 Pomerol. Most people preferred the Du Cru, but the nose on the Pauillac was more attractive.
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Had this alongside an 86...the 86 nose was wide open and while the 99 took a little longer, it Also was fragrant with red fruit. Overall 86 was more earthy and structured, but as I have been sampled or awhile now, 99s very good drinking Bordeaux.
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I have had this wine since 2000. I have lugged it around from Orillia, Brampton, Ottawa, Kingston and back to Orillia over the past 17 years. Today I opened the last and it was excellent. No deterioration at all. It has been store in basement closets, basements, under stairs and finally in my cold cellar. What a great wine. Love it. Sadly my last of the 90's goes down on 9JUL2017.
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Last tasted 6 months ago it reaffirms that there is no reason not to be consuming this wine now as it is in its prime, and I cannot see it evolving further. The nose is very intense with wafts of blackberry underpinned by leather. On the palate the wine does not quite live up to the initial expectation with good firm tannins and balance but lacking complexity. A good balanced finish if a little clipped completes the wine.
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Fully mature, the wine has very full bouquet of red berries and leather. It gives lots of ripe fruit on the palate together with notes of tobacco. The tannin is somewhat harsh which puts the overall balance out of sync. This also leaves a residual sourness on the finish. The wine has fully developed and I cannot not envisage any further evolvement or sweetening of the tannins. Nevertheless an enjoyable wine drinking at its peak.
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Agree with Comte Flaneur's assessment. From a bottle purchased at release and perfectly stored this smelled great as soon as the cork was extracted. The wine has put on some nice secondary expression. Dark red fruit, cigar box and led pencil are all here. While this is not as intense or powerful as some of the other vintages of D-B, it is elegant and silky and very pleasurable today. To me the key to enjoyment is careful air exposure. Poured 2 portions into large stems and let the balance open up in a low volume decanter after 20 minutes this was at it's glory. poured the balance back into clean bottle after another 20 min in the decanter and the wine was at peak throughout the dinner, which could easily merit an extra point to my score.
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Slow ox for 2 hours. This wine was still pretty austere. The nose was quite reduced only offering some aromas of leather, cocoa, sous bois and smokey plums and cassis. The palate was rather tannic and unrelenting. Methinks you should keep it for around 3 years before drinking again. Potential 92 - 93. 88 for now.
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This wine is tannic w loads of sediment, so be sure to stand upright a few days to allow grains to fall to the bottom of the bottle before decanting. Description: Saddle leather, compost and plumbs. Tasted better 2 days later. I'm being generous with the 89 because I love Bordeaux and can handle some funk better than others!
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Purple colour, elegant rich nose. Leather, cedar, bit of chocolate on the palate. Good fruit. Lovely wine; will last for a few more years and may improve a bit, but not hugely
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Dark ruby color. Decanted for 2 hours. Plum, black cherry, leather, and cigar box. Decent weight and concentration. Still has a lot of oak influence. Round tannins, but still needs some obvious integration. Medium-plus finish. This is a good, but not great, Ducru. It falls far short of vintages such as '82 and '95, and maybe even '85. There is still room for improvement, but there's not a high ceiling here.
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From the pre-Bruno era...that's more like it. It has grip and tenacity, it squares up to you and challenges your senses and your intellect. Plenty of cigar box and pencil lead it has evolved into a beautiful Ducru with a fine entry, a dense mid-palate core and a fine finish. One of the top five wines of the 1999 vintage, and pretty close behind Chateau Palmer, but more accessible now. Misunderstood, underestimated and under appreciated.
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Wine Society tasting with Bruno Borie. From magnum ex chateau. Needs aeration to produce an old fashioned claret. Liquorice and blackberry. Some unexpected sweetness - chaptalised perhaps. Decent length. Drink up.
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From magnum, the estate's own stock. Great garnet colour with a bit of evolution around the rim. "Classic" nose, pencil shavings, tobacco, sweet spices, cassis. Wonderful and elegant. Generous and open on the palate with ripe fruit, vibrant with medium intensity, mineral, spicy, great acidity and persistence. Impressive texture and balance. Very fine. A lovely bottle. 92-94
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Nice saddle leather, tobacco and green herbal notes with dark fruit overtones. Balanced, with plenty of fruit on the palate. Herb and mineral qualities too.
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A smooth, elegant and medium bodied wine. Translucent red with slight bricking and slow legs. Nose of earth and wood shavings. Still some black fruits albeit tobacco flavours becoming prominent. Moderate heat and still lightly tannic.
Consumed the day before a Gruaud Larose 2000. The Ducru showed better on day one but is certainly at its peak and is unlikely to improve as the next day the GL had overtaken it. Drink now to 2020+
Drank to celebrate 3rd wedding anniversary.
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Ready to go. This wine showed very well. Lighter and fruitier than I expected. Not the terroir that I have experienced from other bordeauxs. Maybe it is the vintage, but this is drinking very well now and I don't see it maturing any better. Elegant and smooth.
Frankly disappointing. Had a bitterness on the back of the palate that is uncharacteristic for this producer in my experience. Still a nice wine, but not as good as other vintages. Perhaps a bad bottle, but not obviously corked or flawed.
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Dark red fresh color; refined expressive nose, some pepper, forest, tobacco; refined "neutral" attack, nice underlying elegance, intense rounded fruit in the middle, smoked tones, slightly but only slightly drying up in the finish; long pleasant silky aftertaste with tobacco notes; very good, drinking nicely now, will probably not develop much further
Opened it as it was suggested it would be drinkable quickly. Immediately there were nice floral and tobacco notes on the nose. But the wine was astringent and lacked balance. It needs to be decanted for at least 2 hours - much later in the evening the balance showed itself with bright fruit returning and a much smoother finish.
Opened by Mark as part of a 1999 horizontal. Decanted for 2 hours. Deep purple color. Smooth texture. Red and black berries with notes of tar, toasted oak and leather. Solid tannins. I had this back in 2002 and gave it the same score. Less spicy, less tannic but with the same solid fruit core. 92 points.
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Wonderful, inviting, still dense nose with perfect development. Black fruit, violets, almost perfumed. Classic cedary oak. Good depth. Lingering hints of sweet tobacco and leather. Very impressive fruit. Medium-fullish body. Splendid balance. Good concentration and very well structured. Wonderful combo between cedar, perfume and plum fruit. Fat fruit and good grip. Very generous for the vintage and in perfect drinking window.
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Similar notes to last bottle -- subtle red cherry, pencil lead and mineral flavors, very elegant. Fine, well integrated tannins, nice finish. Delicious.
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1999 Bordeaux Tasting in San Antonio: At '99 horizontal. My favorite '99 of the evening. Had typical Ducru nose, sweet raspberry currant, minerals, graphite. Palate very refined and elegant, with nice balance. Solid spicy finish. Not up to the level of the '00, but better than the '01.
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My last bottle of a case plus. Other bottles have shown better. Clearly topped by 2000 Bon Pasteur. Slightly musty at first but blew off. Good wine, paired well with lamb. If you have any of this, I'd suggest drinking soon, next couple of years.
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Decanted just before dinner, opened up nicely after 30-60 minutes. Clean nose dominated by cassis. Smooth. Middle weight. Elegant. Seemed a bit weak in the middle at first, but seemed to fill out with time. Clean, lingering finish. Classic Bordeaux, great wine with dinner at a French Bistro.
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YES...YES. I have had a few 1999s recently and to a man/woman they are all really good. This is another, very classic bordeaux, deep dark fruit and a bit of age. Not mega chewy but close to it, but a lovely wine. Drinking well now and will last for a few years.
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A simple dinner with 1999s: Fairly dark and shiny red colour. In the nose, it's quite spicy with cedar wood, fresh tobacco leaves and some black tea as well as griotte cherry and red currant. Very elegant, very restrained, not showing off at all. On the palate, this is nicely transparent in its aromatics with fine fruitiness, rather forward going acidity, no fat at all and a rather "serious" appearance. Good tannic structure. Good wine, even though it lacks a tiny bit of substance to be really, really good.
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Medium bodied, this lighter, finesse style of Ducru Beaucaillou is dominated by spicy, red berries, freshness, tobacco, herbs and earth. Already close to fully mature, drink this over the next decade, as it's not a wine that was produced to make old bones.
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Medium to light red color, nose of tobacco, cedar and black fruits. On the palate, tobacco, leather, blackberries, forest floor. The wine is by no means a blockbuster but showing well enough. Elegant qualities, fairly complex, not showing its age as much as one would expect, though I doubt the wine will improve further with additional age
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Big nose of fruit and cedar. Drinking very well now and clearly in the prime of its (longish) life I think. Dark intense glassful that only just shows a hint of its age. Long finish with some oakyness that balances it all out nicely. Glad I have more
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Beautiful and mature bouquet with at first some pleasant barnyard (which blows off), sweet spices, menthol, cedar and still some dark forest fruits. On the palate dark as well as red berry fruits, sweet spices again, a bit creamy and soft tannin. Good finish. A delicious and luxurious wine which is medium bodied, elegant, showing complexity and finesse, is completely ready now and the next few years. No reason to wait (much) longer.
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While not a blockbuster Ducru, a fantastic drinking wine right now. Very, very tasty. A prior reviewer referred to this as a spring wine, implying it was a bit light. That wasn't what I saw here great wine in front of a blazing fire on a cool december day
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Mature disc. Beautiful cedary, earthy, cassis and dark berry-driven nose; just a touch of iodine. Good substance but elegant, too. A classic, aristocratic St. Julien. Perfect balance on the palate; concentrated but not over-extracted. It's been a few years since I drank this last and it's come along; I think this will develop nicely as it ages.
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Decanted for 90 minutes. It was reminiscent of other 99 bordeaux I've had, fruity, on the lighter side, very elegant. The finish was fairly lengthy. I don't think this one is going to evolve any further (other than decline).
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Decanted for one hour. A very promising nose: Deep liquorice and berry and a bit of earth. Deep garnet colour with slight bricking rim. Bright and viscous. Fading fruit, but still medium bodied, giving way to slight medicinal finish. But overall, aging nicely. Not sure it will benefit with further age. This is one of my favorite estates in Bordeaux and this wine exemplifies that good estates even in average vintages will outperform.
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Much better than the last one, but this is probably due to the weather! The 99 is a perfect spring wine: what tastes floral and elegant now tasted light and vapid in midwinter. Blackcurrants and a touch of cranberry, leading into wild strawberries and a hint of cream, understated finesse and elegance.
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popped and poured, deep ruby colour, good aromatic and expressive nose, good balance of the soften tannin and acidity, medium to full bodied, drinking very well now, can last for 5-10 years.
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Give this a couple of hours to unwind, and it will really open up. An underrated, floral Bordeaux from what I believe to be an underrated vintage. Great fruit and an approachable, soft structure. Wish i had more.
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Decanted roughly one hour. Deep but not opaque garnet-red color with only slight wateriness at the rim. Classic nose of cedar, pencil lead, cassis, and red clay. Fully mature and beautifully balanced on the palate with the trademark Ducru elegance fully displayed. Lacks a bit of depth and complexity to be truly great but this is still an oustanding wine by my standards. Drank alongside the 1999 Leoville-Poyferre at Rabbit Bistro in Eugene, OR. Brought from my cellar.
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Tour de Bordeaux; Next stop: St. Julien @ my place (Netherlands): Soft and timid mature nose, showing some cabbage/cooked veggies. Slender, slightly rustic and classically structured, with fading fruit. It does have loads of smoky ceder and tobacco, leather, cola etc. Nevertheless, it makes a vivid and refreshing impression in the mouth. Drink up. 16.5/20
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What a wonderful wine. Tempting Bordeaux color and vivd dark fruit smell combined with some leather and sweat. Balanced, very elegant, still lots of years ahead.
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Tasted blind. Quite polished and modern on the nose, fruit-driven with plums and blackberry. Overtones of almonds. Silky on the palate, feels young and yet ready to drink and lacking backbone. I was surprised that this was a Ducru - the least structured one I've had.
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The wine actually tasted better than the score might suggest. Very expressive nose of spice and oak. Blue fruits, spices and herbs, leather, a little earthy character coming through. The oak induced flavours were starting to show faint signs of age. Very nice and textbook St Julien. Smooth and rounded tannins on a mid length finish. Very good and drinking really well though I would expect a little more oomph, considering the price and pedigree of this wine.
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Boys nite II, fall 2010 (Reno, NV): I think most of the notes are accurate below... a very nice Ducru that manages to have the friendliness of the 99 vintage in good balance with the earthy, elegant, St Julien thing... great balance,, good length, very good intensity and complexity... very nice finesse with a likably, but reasonably traditional claret texture, great expression of place. Hitting its stride, barely 'outstanding' wine for me that I very much enjoyed...
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First sniff showed a tomato flavor which then blew off. Expressive nose and of cedar, red fruit and cassis. Really nice nose showing elegance and freshness. In mouth the same fresh and fluid style, nice earthy texture, excellent acidity. Finish is good. A great bottle showing a very elegent and distinctive character. Loved it.
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Nose : graphite, blackcurrent, confit cherry. In the mouth, the wine is pleasant. Tanins have medium strength and have been rounded by time. The wine has also some evolution with autumn forest and smoky hints. FruiGraphite and cigarbox flavours add anothe layer of complexity. It is not a long distance runner, but it drinks very well now. Frm a pure pleasure perspective, I find it better than 1995
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Served from a 375ml at 62 degrees. Decanted and tasted. Beautiful, dark garnet robe - just opaque at the center with a touch of brick at the edge. Wonderful, voluptuous nose of leather and cedar, ripe dark fruits, a mineral backbone. An elegant yet powerful nose, with some cigar, earth. Really excellent nose. A hint of animal, iodine notes. Most intense aromatically within the first 30 minutes or so.
Delicious palate, similar notes as on the nose but the iodine comes forward slightly and leaves an oak, tea-leaf note on the finish. Classic Medoc, just so complex and each element so perfectly in balance. Still tannic (and the tannins are a bit gritty, especially compared to the silkiness I remember in the '96), but excellent acidity and alcohol rounding out the medium body.
I find myself more and more taken with Ducru-Beaucaillou. An exciting wine that is probably drinking well now in 750ml format and one that I suspect will drink for at least 20 years beautifully.
4.5/5
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Finally hitting its stride after several years of being uninteresting. Cassis, cherry, leather and little tobacco. Softening from a couple of years ago, and just entering its plateau of drinkability.
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Dark garnet hue. Nose of cedar, red currant, cassis. Black currant fruit with plenty of leather and spice counterbalanced by fine-grained, grippy tannins and pleasing acidity. Long finish with nice concentration and a lash of black cherry fruit at the end. Drinking very well. From a 375.
Dark opaque garnet with very slight lightening at the rim. Dark fruit, strawberry and spices on the nose. Dark fruits balanced by some nice acidity, with a bit of a coffee/mocha follow through on the palate. A good bordeaux, drinking pretty well now.
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Great balance. Still good color ten years in, slight rim fading. Nose is more red fruit, cherry, strawberry. Some spice/smoke/leather. Not overly oaky. Palate is wonderfully balanced, soft good finish. Little in the way of tannin, but I'm sure it will last an easy 5+ years from here.
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I loved this wine. Garnet color. Intoxicating nose of strawberries, raspberries, red cherries, blackberries, wet earth and a little smoke. Similar tastes on the palate. Smoothe, tannins mostly integrated. Medium body. Pleasing, though not especially long finish. Granted, 1999 lacks the concentration and power of some other years, but it compensates with great balance and finesse. This is a wonderful wine any time, but on the lawn at Tanglewood during a welcome break in the rain, with my beautiful wife of 30 years by my side, eating a nice aged cheddar with crisp crackers and the BSO playing Beethoven's 9th, it was an Ode to Joy.
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For some reason, this bottle seemed a little tighter than the one I drank last year. Wait until 2010 to try again, plenty of quality, complexity and potential.
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Took to Paul F. for nuggets game. Nice out of the chute & got better with 1/2 hr decant. Continues to show well for another 1.5 hrs (in the decanter) after which it started to fade. Nice dark fruit notes and a little spice. No notes of green tannins or harshness. At a nice place and showing very well for the vintage.
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Popped and poured. The eye showed only the beginning of some browning, and on the whole this continued to look pretty young. It had a good nose of baking spices and possibly vanilla. There were also hints of secondary floral smells. After some time in the glass I think the nose became a bit muted and also changed to more of a tobacco and cherry type deal. The palate was nice with some dark cherry and red fruit tastes, though I was less than impressed with the back end and the finish, which I thought were short and maybe even slightly green. Nonetheless, a good showing, certainly better than the last bottle.
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After a couple of hours of decanting, this wine hit a high note and was drinking well for half an hour. Unfortunately, it petered off rather quickly and lost some luster around the three hour mark. This started off with a bit of a woodsy, tobacco taste replaced quickly by some red fruit, and a little pepper on the finish. All in all, a good wine, but we may have expected a little more from a second growth, even in this vintage.
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AWFS Lo Hey Dinner with 99 Bord and More (My Humble Home): Cigarette ash tainted, slightly floral perfumed, cherryish and very gently feminine. Ringing cherry fruit gently gliding on the palate with graceful turns and ballet-like movements. Not the most memorable of ducrus but this is as right bank as a left bank can get.
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Lo Hei potluck with 1999 Bordeaux and other wines (Alex's place): Certainly not a profound wine, but this was lovely and drinking very nicely. Darkly fruited cassis and cherries on the nose, shading over to dried cherries with time, along with touches of meat and earth and a light layering of cedar. Classic Ducru notes of stewed tea and fragrant flowers - chrysanthemum maybe? Very luscious and seductive palate, Plush on the mouth, but never too dense or modern, just nicely balanced with fargrant cherry flavours and touches of spice and tea leaves towards the finish with a little layer of vanilla. This was a big hit with the ladies.
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Brought by a guest to a dinner party. Popped and poured from a double magnum. Very youthful overall and, with air, improved throughout the evening. Dark ruby color, a nose of black cherry, smoke, spicebox and some earth, tannic on the palate, medium finish. Great fun to drink, but still quite young. Should last many years.
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drank over 3+hrs. undecanted as situation dosent allow. i strongly suggest to decant a ducru beaucaillou. initial nose very much muted for at least 1+ hr, but once it starts to open, wow!!. what a sweet beautiful young thing! the nose is like a delicate carass from a sweet beautiful girl. if you like the nose of cassis mixed with castor sugar, then this is for you. there is consistency on the nose and palate as well. palate is not very complex but not too bad either. i like this wine very much actually. my only qualm is that i expected it to be bigger.
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Best bottle of this yet. Complex nose of dark cherries, strawberries and blackberries, with a bit of smoke and a little wood. Smoothe, elegant wine, great with venison.
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Very nice combination of flavors. Good balance; tannins are not hidden by the plentiful fruit but not intense. A bit of vanilla-blackberry-cream, but neither too oaky, too fruity nor too jammy. Pleasure quotient at this price point is very high even at retail on a 10 year (almost) wine. I think Parker describes it pretty well.
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Not that deep; classically left bank- tending to Pauillac- lead pencils & blackcurrent pastilles; rounded, easy going, silky, medium bodied. Harmonious, has real style. Drinking well now but may yet improve. Excellent but not great.
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Opened and served immediately. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Tight nose giving way to some notes of berries, melted black licorice and some currants. Flavors of black cherries and berries. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Drink with a decant or continue to hold.
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this offers up an intense bouquet of cassis and blackberry fruits on the nose edged with gentle tones of very ripe herbs, spicy poppy seeds and fresh oak tones with a top note of dried red chili. This is more austere and structured than the Kirwan with more aggressive tannins. Still quite young and darker than many 1999's this seems to be quite somplete if not yet fully open and the quality really shines through on the long finish with it's nuanced chili and herb tones accenting the dark fruit. A lovely bottle in the making though the tannins need time to resolve themselve but judging from the nose and finish there is ample fruit. 2010-2020
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Just opaque, lots of age. Pleasantly perfumed, a little meatiness, complex, lovely. Beautiful in the mouth, great complexity, fruity and fresh, gorgeous, ready now, great length.
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Ruby red in color. Medium-Full bodied wine with lovely nose of cassis, red berries, very st.Julien . Gained weight with times, fine tannin and long 30 secs finish
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Lovely nose, soo much blackberry and blueberry, the dark fruity notes are lovely and the palate is perfectly round and mellow. A little cedarwood and cigarboxes. What a great expression and almost perfect to savor now.
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Popped at lunch Ducru 99 shows purple colour with very youthful signs, in the glass is very ripe with the oak in evidence yet. At the nose cherry,currant,blackberry,blueberry,black pepper,pencil lead,vanilla,tobacco you can find a really nice complexity. The mouth is smooth and soft, but it doesn't have the same complexity of the nose,it lacks more power and grip. The wine at this stage is still very young, but already approachable, it'll age well but of course 1999 is not a great vintage. Anyway,the steady quality of Ducru Beaucaillou, is not questionable!!!!!
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Diepdonkerrood. In de neus: mokka, zwarte bessen, kersen. Een ontzettend heldere, zuivere neus. Vervolgens een schitterende, brede aanzet in de mond. Bakken met rood fruit. Een romige, zalfachtige structuur. Tannines helemaal verweven. Superrijpe framboos en kersen. Toppunt van finesse. Deze wijn belééf je meer dan dat je ''m proeft. 18/20
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Dark ruby. Cherry and strawberry on the nose. Smoothe, medium body, exceptional balance. Elegant. Drinking well, though years of life ahead. I'll finish mine over the next 2 - 5 years.
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Rich, sweet fruit and cedar. Very aromatic and sexy on the nose. Not as concentrated as a more powerful vintage on the palate but perfectly balanced and elegant. Drinking well now but should continue to improve for several more years. Fantastic bottle from a great producer in an under appreciated year.
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Nice wine just coming into drinking peak drinking. Ultra luxurious Bordeaux. The bottle opened with lush cherries, sweet fruit and beautifully smooth cocoa. As it developed more earhty licorice blackberry, and mineral began to come through. This was truly a fantastic bottle, and right in the same range as the Leoville Barton 2001 that I drank early this year.
red fruits and cedar on the nose. muouthfeel is light on the palate. strawberry, creamy blueberry, subtle pencil lead. some tannins but not overpowering. shorter finish than expected.
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Earthy oaky nose followed by earthy tones of blackberry, cherry, chocolate with a long lingering finish of deep creamy blackberry and vanilla background.
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tasted on 3/1/07 with one word to describe it, Silky. This wine is drinking extermely well right now with loads of black cherry and currants, hints of pencil lead with creame de casis. Very nice mid palate with a long silky finish
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Tasted April 21, 2007 at an offline. Tasted from a Spiegelau Authentus Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of cedar, dark fruits, dried herbs and perhaps some floral components. Flavors of chewy red fruits, berries and cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drinking rather well at the moment.
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Wonderful nose of dark fruit - cherry and blackberry- with a bit of funk. Mid palate had notes of barnyard and pencil (graphite) with smooth raspberry, the finish had chewy tannins and a lingering but distant fruit profile. Wish I had more!
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Classic Bordeaux: big nose with cassis and cedar, cassis and graphite on the palate. Complex and evolving in the glass. Accessible now, but with quite a bit of tannin left. Vintages like 1999 that get overshadowed by vintages like 2000 often provide great deals, and I think this is one of them.
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Winestreet Tastes Bordeaux: Ruby red. Great St. Julian nose. Big mouthfeel. Fresh red fruit. Slightly bitter. Tannic with a lingering finish. I really enjoyed this wine a lot.
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Century Wine Club - August 2005 (Scarborough Wines): Lots of caramel and chocolate on the nose, very intoxicating. Slight brown tinge on the rim. Decent legs in the glass. Huge fruit, but a lighter lift mid-palette. Fairly long with the chocolate and mint flowing through the palette. Soft tannin structure abit of a surprise.
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Nice wine that will make a great drinker with a few more years in the bottle. A little thin on the mid palate and a short finish but overall a success for the vintage.
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A little young, but Uncle Bob rated it "early maturity" so away we went. Magenta-purple with no lightening at edges. Nose already very nice. Cassis, pencil lead, and cedar galore. The palate took a while to open up, but after 2 hours, exhibited fruit and grip in a surpisingly melodious and elegant package. Enjoyed it a lot. From a half bottle.
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Tasted at McCarthy & Schiering. This has an unusually bright nose of black cherry that I never would have picked out initially as Bordeaux. However, with half an hour in the glass some soy and mushroom emerged and gave this a beautiful, earthy edge. However, the palate and finish seem fairly tight and closed in right now, somewhat unyielding without much power or persistence.
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Red Carpet: Deep dark forest; stemmy, big, immature t’s, young, unbalanced in the mth, “separated” characteristics (t’s, taste, body)--not well integrated. Maybe it is in process of “shutting down”.
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Yet another 99 Bordeaux worthy of cellaring. A big deep red-purple wine full of aromas of blackberries and crushed roses that carry over with some rich rasberries and chewy tannins on the finish.
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Red Carpet: Fruitier, softer nose than Leoville Las Cases; deep ruby colored; flowers, cassis, lighter body, bigger fruit & cassis; amazing they’re both St. Julien! Always a fav.
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This was my 2nd favorite wine of the tasting also. It had a spicey nose. I noted blackberry, dark cherry and black pepper flavors. It was full bodied and had a long finish. I think this wine had more Petit Verdot in it than the other Bordeauxs at the tasting. 92 points.
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4/23/2024 - Oliverl1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fabulous wine. This bottle had obviously been kept very well. It took about 3 hours to open up.
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3/31/2024 - LuckyLars Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Bouquet was a tad unyielding at first but revealed hints of tobacco, cedar and dark fruit. Medium bodied with good acidity and balance. A delicious wine with a solid finish. At a lovely point in it's maturity but I do not believe it has a few rather than many years ahead of it.
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3/1/2024 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Nothing much has changed over the past year. This is still exceptionally balanced and a pleasure to drink. No need to wait but it’ll last another 10+ easily.
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12/22/2023 - wa2ofd wrote:
From mag and decanted an hour. Truth be told not sure it needed a decant. These 99s are a crowd pleaser. Still great fruit and not much tannins. Never met a Ducru I didn’t like!
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11/4/2023 - wa2ofd Likes this wine:
Drinking beautifully. No need to decant. 15mins or so in glass will do it.
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7/2/2023 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Really delicious. Fuller bodied and riper than expected. Delicious primary blackcurrant and cassis, with saddle leather, cedar wood and dried rose petals behind. Good acidity gives lift. Long and complex. Drinking beautifully now and will continue to develop for many years.
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3/5/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Académie des Cinquante Tasting and Dinner with the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux (Restaurant Entrepot, Amsterdam, NL): Magnum. A great success in this unheralded vintage, fresh and delicate, elegant, harmonious, a forgotten vintage that was excellent in the southern medoc, so gentle and delicate, still energetic, un grand charmeur.
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3/5/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep, dark ruby with no sign of color degradation. Cocoa-dusted blackberries with red berries with white pepper on the nose. Somewhat thin-bodied on the front palate with red berry notes followed quickly by strong blackberry cobbler and yellow cake notes (not uranium). Raspberries and a confectionary note are also in the mix. Delicious.
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2/12/2023 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Similar note to last time.
This is lovely on the nose and smooth on the palate. It’s in a nice spot now and will be great for another 10+ years.
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12/31/2022 - ElmarV Likes this wine: 91 Points
Noch immer gut. Meine aber nicht, dass der Wein noch besser werden wird.
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12/17/2022 - Tao wrote: 92 Points
This bottle came out a bit more dense and adding a little bit more weight, a classy St Julien of course, slightly darker, a bit young and closed this time!
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7/13/2022 - Tao wrote: 93 Points
Decent aroma of fragrant red fruits, medium body, a wine of subtlety, with an alluring finish!
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11/28/2021 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Upon opening, black licorice and espresso on the nose. A bit of tobacco and cassis, accented by baking spice.
Medium body on the palate with moderate acidity and nicely integrated tannin. It’s very polished and enjoyable now. That said, a few more years would do this bottle good. Try again in 3. Great stuff!
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8/31/2021 - S-C-S Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant for 3 hours
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5/8/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 92 Points
This could have used a bit more decant time (probably had 90 min) but still drinking well. Enticing nose of fruit and tobacco, tannins silky and smooth, plenty of acid. Noticed the abv more than I expected so that was to only thing that prevented it from being really great. I still think this wine has plenty more cellar time for my palate.
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5/8/2021 - dmvatl wrote:
Garnet to tawny in color, aged, warm, spice and elegant. Dark fruit and tobacco on the nose. Drinking quite nice, decanted!
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3/21/2021 - Taronti wrote: 92 Points
A bit of red fruit, some lead pencil. Good acidity, good central tannins and length. Needs at least 2 hours aeration. Possibly better in s few years.
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3/19/2021 - jkoenen wrote: 93 Points
LOvely! Fresh red fruit, roasted herbs and verggies. Beefstew, smoke and black pudding <3
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3/7/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is not a top vintage of Ducru as it lacks some heft and complexity but it possesses great silky purity and just flows over the tongue with classic flavors of dark fruits, smoky cedar and graphite minerals. This is a perfect time to drink this beautiful wine which is so smooth and refined. A great showing!
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1/22/2021 - ElmarV Likes this wine: 90 Points
Hermann meint, er könne noch liegen bleiben.
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12/25/2020 - ANWW89 Likes this wine: 92 Points
1.5 hour decant. good drinking period. opened up well. tobacco, wet leaves, oolong tea, cedar, pencil lead. fine and elegant rather than powerful. quite simple. moderate finish. not a showstopper but still good
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11/3/2020 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lead pencil and leather on nose
Tannins still pretty forward
Finish is beautiful
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8/14/2020 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 91 Points
This bottle has lovely lush red fruit and plenty of secondary development and refinement but this bottle has a bit of a hole in the mid-palate and a slightly under-ripe note. The overall package was very satisfying and this wine is well in the drinking window but deserves two points less than last time, when I didn’t encounter that air pocket.
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7/15/2020 - Sonoffalstaff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Comte Flaneur summarises this very well. So glad this has come round so well. This was richer and lusher than I had recalled
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4/26/2020 - Elkcims Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium bodied, silky, crushed stones, boysenberry. Expressive yet not over the top.
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4/25/2020 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 93 Points
First bottle from a case. Fully mature, refined, elegant, harmonious, understated but a complete wine. So easy going, so effortlessly classy. I suspect this has been drinking well for at least five years and it may not have the structure to last for many more decades. So a really useful Ducru to drink whilst waiting on your 1996s and 2000s (the 1995 is starting to drink very well). After the mishaps of the late 1980s Ducru was on top form in the late 90s and this is a good example. This is the top wine in St-Julien in 1999 and probably top five wines of the vintage in Bordeaux.
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3/22/2020 - no leashes wrote: 90 Points
Similar notes to last bottle --mature Bordeaux, drinking very nicely.
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3/11/2020 - curtr Likes this wine: 90 Points
A nice lighter version of Ducru, drink up.
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1/24/2020 - ElmarV Likes this wine: 91 Points
Leder, Torf, Sauerkirsche, Schokolade, in der Nase torfig, etwas über den Zenit - bestätigt sich aber nicht.
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1/20/2020 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Perfectly mature Bordeaux, drinking beautifully. Dark color in glass, with red and black fruit (plum?) in a smoky elegant and smooth texture.
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11/29/2019 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Never disappoints. Dark red in glass. Left bank nose, however not overly tarred like the paulliacs
I believe this wine will be a long lasting 99
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8/14/2019 - djhammond Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with last year, this is in its prime drinking window. It is a surprisingly delicate wine with blackberry, leather, and cedar prominent. Everything is well balanced and the tannin has softened sufficiently but it lacks the depth and complexity of the more prestigious vintages. However, it is a very enjoyable drink which needs minimal time in the decanter, and should stay here for the next five years or so.
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7/22/2019 - cwiebe Likes this wine: 90 Points
Seems to be at peak evolution, as change day by day over 36 hours was not significant. Not fully tertiary in flavor, it still has some strong fruit components, but those are carried along by more rustic flavors. Quite honestly, a little underwhelming, but a fine bottle in any case.
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4/23/2019 - yourcenar wrote: 87 Points
the glory of this wine belongs to the past. urgent to drink it
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4/5/2019 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Lightly brick/garnet edge. Ruby core.
Cassis, ripe red fruit, woody and a touch of green character on the nose.
Medium body on the palate, well balanced, tannins are light to medium and the finish is pleasantly long.
This is great but not incredible. Drinkly well right now and likely has 5-10 more years of enjoyment.
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3/22/2019 - Lindlb Does not like this wine:
Blind verkostet.
Nette Frucht, mittel komplex, Kirsche aber irgendwie baut der Wein keinen Druck auf. Liegt ohne Spannung im Glas. Abgang mittel. Austrinken
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3/10/2019 - Sonoffalstaff Likes this wine: 91 Points
So glad this has come round and is now a v classic St Julien. Super nose with lots of cigar box and then a rich rounded palate with well integrated tannin and superb balance. Not a blockbuster but very fine claret
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12/16/2018 - Ricky99 wrote: 92 Points
Birthday dinner at Cape May.... Beautiful after 30 minutes, decanted. Classic Ducru nose... drinking very very well
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12/16/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 90 Points
A pleasant wine which is fully mature, but without the refinement of a typical Ducru Beaucaillou. The nose is very full with blackcurrent, plum, and hints of raspberry, and holds great promise. However, on the palate it is a little one dimensional, but with a decent depth and finish, albeit leaving acrid overtones. This is drinking at its peak, but has a structure to stay here for a few years.
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11/16/2018 - Henry Miller Likes this wine: 91 Points
Already mature, herbal notes dominating the red fruit and lingering, drying tannins. Shows breed, but not the exotic, decadent side of Ducru
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11/8/2018 - Eric Guido wrote: 92 Points
The nose showed dark earth tones up front with hints of animal musk and spicy dried florals, as the ‘99 seemed to gain further richness and dimension the longer it stayed in the glass. On the palate, I found a lean expression with taught textures given life through a wave of zesty acidity, showing dried dark red fruits and hints of savory herbs. The finish was long and spicy with a bitter twang of residual tannin lingering on.
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4/6/2018 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 92 Points
Continue to be improwith this somewhat unheralded vintage...While we placed both in decanter upon opening, it hardly needed as wines were fresh and aromatic from the get go...
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11/12/2017 - favorito Likes this wine: 90 Points
3h after decanting it was a mature and powerful wine. Maybe another 5 years, but I think it is near the peak now.
Typical for left bank with earthy, leather and chocolate aromes.
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11/11/2017 - rjul wrote:
Gav 2 st till Bengt o Ulla på deras 80 resp 75 årsdagar.
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11/5/2017 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 92 Points
Note from Clio summs this up v well. The first few of these have been a little on the disappointing side vs the reputation but this has now developed into a great Bordeaux. Tannins well integrated, good cedar nose and lovely complexity.
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10/31/2017 - clio_wine Likes this wine:
Very Good. I have been holding on to this for some time. It is drinking great. The nose is not pronounced, but flavors of dark fruits and earth are amazing. The tannins have mellowed. I opened it for a tasting with a 2001 Pauillac and a 2000 Pomerol. Most people preferred the Du Cru, but the nose on the Pauillac was more attractive.
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10/13/2017 - wa2ofd Likes this wine: 90 Points
Had this alongside an 86...the 86 nose was wide open and while the 99 took a little longer, it Also was fragrant with red fruit. Overall 86 was more earthy and structured, but as I have been sampled or awhile now, 99s very good drinking Bordeaux.
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7/9/2017 - whitealleycat Likes this wine: 95 Points
I have had this wine since 2000. I have lugged it around from Orillia, Brampton, Ottawa, Kingston and back to Orillia over the past 17 years. Today I opened the last and it was excellent. No deterioration at all. It has been store in basement closets, basements, under stairs and finally in my cold cellar. What a great wine. Love it. Sadly my last of the 90's goes down on 9JUL2017.
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5/30/2017 - Nico P. Likes this wine:
A lovely wine. Tannins fully integrated. This bottle was opened at just the right time.
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4/27/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last tasted 6 months ago it reaffirms that there is no reason not to be consuming this wine now as it is in its prime, and I cannot see it evolving further. The nose is very intense with wafts of blackberry underpinned by leather. On the palate the wine does not quite live up to the initial expectation with good firm tannins and balance but lacking complexity. A good balanced finish if a little clipped completes the wine.
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2/8/2017 - Nothung Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good not great Ducru, with the telltale violets and finesse, but lacks the depth and mystery of the great vintages.
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1/14/2017 - 911henrik wrote: 91 Points
Good drinking. Perhaps not so good price/performance but still a nice wine at its peak.
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1/5/2017 - LOZFOZ Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank at home
Decanted for an hour. Lovely nose; rich & chocolatey. Not very long on the palate which was a disappointment. But a decent mature claret.
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12/14/2016 - RayOB wrote: 90 Points
Drank at the P&G
Classic mature claret nose of cedar, leather and dried red fruit. Still some harsh tannins on the palate but nice.
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12/8/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fully mature, the wine has very full bouquet of red berries and leather. It gives lots of ripe fruit on the palate together with notes of tobacco. The tannin is somewhat harsh which puts the overall balance out of sync. This also leaves a residual sourness on the finish. The wine has fully developed and I cannot not envisage any further evolvement or sweetening of the tannins. Nevertheless an enjoyable wine drinking at its peak.
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11/9/2016 - Ricky99 wrote: 90 Points
Green at open.... opening nicely
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8/22/2016 - FLI Likes this wine: 90 Points
Understated, but well-balanced. Definitely ready to drink.
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6/11/2016 - The Grape North Likes this wine: 89 Points
Too short of a finish to break the 90s, but a nice wine nonetheless. Slow-oxed for 4 hours before it started to drink nicely.
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3/21/2016 - bon vivant wrote: 92 Points
Agree with Comte Flaneur's assessment. From a bottle purchased at release and perfectly stored this smelled great as soon as the cork was extracted. The wine has put on some nice secondary expression. Dark red fruit, cigar box and led pencil are all here. While this is not as intense or powerful as some of the other vintages of D-B, it is elegant and silky and very pleasurable today. To me the key to enjoyment is careful air exposure. Poured 2 portions into large stems and let the balance open up in a low volume decanter after 20 minutes this was at it's glory. poured the balance back into clean bottle after another 20 min in the decanter and the wine was at peak throughout the dinner, which could easily merit an extra point to my score.
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10/15/2015 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 90 Points
Pretty much in line with last note. Is opening well but not developing any additional structure.
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8/9/2015 - Nicholas81 wrote: 88 Points
Slow ox for 2 hours. This wine was still pretty austere. The nose was quite reduced only offering some aromas of leather, cocoa, sous bois and smokey plums and cassis. The palate was rather tannic and unrelenting. Methinks you should keep it for around 3 years before drinking again. Potential 92 - 93. 88 for now.
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8/8/2015 - Dough Boy wrote: 89 Points
This wine is tannic w loads of sediment, so be sure to stand upright a few days to allow grains to fall to the bottom of the bottle before decanting. Description: Saddle leather, compost and plumbs. Tasted better 2 days later. I'm being generous with the 89 because I love Bordeaux and can handle some funk better than others!
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6/4/2015 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 90 Points
Much improved. Good complexity and length. half case wine on the HJ scale
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5/2/2015 - Nothung Likes this wine: 89 Points
Somewhat flat and one dimensional. Opened a couple of hours before serving with grilled steak.
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4/27/2015 - Shoebox wrote: 89 Points
Purple colour, elegant rich nose. Leather, cedar, bit of chocolate on the palate. Good fruit.
Lovely wine; will last for a few more years and may improve a bit, but not hugely
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4/19/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby color. Decanted for 2 hours. Plum, black cherry, leather, and cigar box. Decent weight and concentration. Still has a lot of oak influence. Round tannins, but still needs some obvious integration. Medium-plus finish. This is a good, but not great, Ducru. It falls far short of vintages such as '82 and '95, and maybe even '85. There is still room for improvement, but there's not a high ceiling here.
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4/14/2015 - Comte Flaneur wrote:
From the pre-Bruno era...that's more like it. It has grip and tenacity, it squares up to you and challenges your senses and your intellect. Plenty of cigar box and pencil lead it has evolved into a beautiful Ducru with a fine entry, a dense mid-palate core and a fine finish. One of the top five wines of the 1999 vintage, and pretty close behind Chateau Palmer, but more accessible now. Misunderstood, underestimated and under appreciated.
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4/14/2015 - wineforth Likes this wine: 88 Points
Wine Society tasting with Bruno Borie. From magnum ex chateau. Needs aeration to produce an old fashioned claret. Liquorice and blackberry. Some unexpected sweetness - chaptalised perhaps. Decent length. Drink up.
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4/13/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
From magnum, the estate's own stock. Great garnet colour with a bit of evolution around the rim. "Classic" nose, pencil shavings, tobacco, sweet spices, cassis. Wonderful and elegant. Generous and open on the palate with ripe fruit, vibrant with medium intensity, mineral, spicy, great acidity and persistence. Impressive texture and balance. Very fine. A lovely bottle. 92-94
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4/13/2015 - Paul D wrote:
Ducru-Beaucaillou - TWS tutored tasting with Bruno Borie (One Great George Street, Westminster): I don't think this bottle was in great shape, the fruit was very tired and figgy, a touch of cedar but similarly tired and flat on the palate. NR
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3/1/2015 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Nice saddle leather, tobacco and green herbal notes with dark fruit overtones. Balanced, with plenty of fruit on the palate. Herb and mineral qualities too.
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2/4/2015 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured from a 375ml (half bottle)
A smooth, elegant and medium bodied wine. Translucent red with slight bricking and slow legs. Nose of earth and wood shavings. Still some black fruits albeit tobacco flavours becoming prominent. Moderate heat and still lightly tannic.
Consumed the day before a Gruaud Larose 2000. The Ducru showed better on day one but is certainly at its peak and is unlikely to improve as the next day the GL had overtaken it. Drink now to 2020+
Drank to celebrate 3rd wedding anniversary.
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1/22/2015 - rwilk_2000 wrote: 91 Points
Ready to go. This wine showed very well. Lighter and fruitier than I expected. Not the terroir that I have experienced from other bordeauxs. Maybe it is the vintage, but this is drinking very well now and I don't see it maturing any better. Elegant and smooth.
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1/4/2015 - AWBryce Likes this wine: 90 Points
Red sweet fruits on the nose. Still fairly structured, needs some time to flesh out.
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12/14/2014 - bsreid Likes this wine: 88 Points
Didn't open up as much as I hoped. Head start of 2 hours in decanter. Nice balance, smooth, light tannins, fruit somewhat too far behind.
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11/10/2014 - FLI Likes this wine: 89 Points
Frankly disappointing. Had a bitterness on the back of the palate that is uncharacteristic for this producer in my experience. Still a nice wine, but not as good as other vintages. Perhaps a bad bottle, but not obviously corked or flawed.
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10/20/2014 - Miceri Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red fresh color; refined expressive nose, some pepper, forest, tobacco; refined "neutral" attack, nice underlying elegance, intense rounded fruit in the middle, smoked tones, slightly but only slightly drying up in the finish; long pleasant silky aftertaste with tobacco notes; very good, drinking nicely now, will probably not develop much further
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10/9/2014 - affordableCollector wrote: 87 Points
red, orange, in color. dark fruit, earth, on the nose. oak, blackberry, tar, saline, on the palate. high acid, medium tannins, on the finish.
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10/7/2014 - drunkstar wrote: 93 Points
Classic claret. Rich for the vintage. Still showing well.
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8/8/2014 - chitownmb wrote: 89 Points
Opened it as it was suggested it would be drinkable quickly. Immediately there were nice floral and tobacco notes on the nose. But the wine was astringent and lacked balance. It needs to be decanted for at least 2 hours - much later in the evening the balance showed itself with bright fruit returning and a much smoother finish.
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4/26/2014 - mnoljo wrote: 91 Points
Seemed the youngest of the four 99 still showing a nice fruit
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4/25/2014 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
Opened by Mark as part of a 1999 horizontal. Decanted for 2 hours. Deep purple color. Smooth texture. Red and black berries with notes of tar, toasted oak and leather. Solid tannins. I had this back in 2002 and gave it the same score. Less spicy, less tannic but with the same solid fruit core. 92 points.
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4/19/2014 - mavericksane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed half an hour in the decanter to resolve. Beautiful.
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3/8/2014 - Argrath wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful, inviting, still dense nose with perfect development. Black fruit, violets, almost perfumed. Classic cedary oak. Good depth. Lingering hints of sweet tobacco and leather. Very impressive fruit.
Medium-fullish body. Splendid balance. Good concentration and very well structured. Wonderful combo between cedar, perfume and plum fruit. Fat fruit and good grip. Very generous for the vintage and in perfect drinking window.
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3/2/2014 - Sonoffalstaff wrote: 88 Points
good wine but it has to be said the vintage shows. Good complexity and length but nothing outstanding. Don't bid current offers
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2/11/2014 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Similar notes to last bottle -- subtle red cherry, pencil lead and mineral flavors, very elegant. Fine, well integrated tannins, nice finish. Delicious.
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2/9/2014 - macker100 wrote: 92 Points
1999 Bordeaux Tasting in San Antonio: At '99 horizontal. My favorite '99 of the evening. Had typical Ducru nose, sweet raspberry currant, minerals, graphite. Palate very refined and elegant, with nice balance. Solid spicy finish. Not up to the level of the '00, but better than the '01.
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12/31/2013 - Ibetian wrote: 91 Points
My last bottle of a case plus. Other bottles have shown better. Clearly topped by 2000 Bon Pasteur. Slightly musty at first but blew off. Good wine, paired well with lamb. If you have any of this, I'd suggest drinking soon, next couple of years.
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12/19/2013 - Ibetian Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted just before dinner, opened up nicely after 30-60 minutes. Clean nose dominated by cassis. Smooth. Middle weight. Elegant. Seemed a bit weak in the middle at first, but seemed to fill out with time. Clean, lingering finish. Classic Bordeaux, great wine with dinner at a French Bistro.
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8/19/2013 - fandj Likes this wine: 91 Points
A beautiful, classic Bordeaux. Our son is heading to NYU this week, so we made a Tuscan T-Bone, this was perfect with it.
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7/2/2013 - mukden Likes this wine: 91 Points
YES...YES. I have had a few 1999s recently and to a man/woman they are all really good. This is another, very classic bordeaux, deep dark fruit and a bit of age. Not mega chewy but close to it, but a lovely wine. Drinking well now and will last for a few years.
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6/21/2013 - octopussy Likes this wine: 91 Points
A simple dinner with 1999s: Fairly dark and shiny red colour. In the nose, it's quite spicy with cedar wood, fresh tobacco leaves and some black tea as well as griotte cherry and red currant. Very elegant, very restrained, not showing off at all. On the palate, this is nicely transparent in its aromatics with fine fruitiness, rather forward going acidity, no fat at all and a rather "serious" appearance. Good tannic structure. Good wine, even though it lacks a tiny bit of substance to be really, really good.
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6/5/2013 - Rani wrote: 91 Points
Tasted blind. Bacon fat, blackcurrant and provence herbs. Very smooth, elegant but with depth and power. Really nice now.
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5/18/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Medium bodied, this lighter, finesse style of Ducru Beaucaillou is dominated by spicy, red berries, freshness, tobacco, herbs and earth. Already close to fully mature, drink this over the next decade, as it's not a wine that was produced to make old bones.
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4/9/2013 - cephomer wrote: 91 Points
Medium to light red color, nose of tobacco, cedar and black fruits. On the palate, tobacco, leather, blackberries, forest floor. The wine is by no means a blockbuster but showing well enough. Elegant qualities, fairly complex, not showing its age as much as one would expect, though I doubt the wine will improve further with additional age
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1/4/2013 - drunkstar wrote: 93 Points
Big nose of fruit and cedar. Drinking very well now and clearly in the prime of its (longish) life I think. Dark intense glassful that only just shows a hint of its age. Long finish with some oakyness that balances it all out nicely. Glad I have more
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1/1/2013 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful and mature bouquet with at first some pleasant barnyard (which blows off), sweet spices, menthol, cedar and still some dark forest fruits. On the palate dark as well as red berry fruits, sweet spices again, a bit creamy and soft tannin. Good finish. A delicious and luxurious wine which is medium bodied, elegant, showing complexity and finesse, is completely ready now and the next few years. No reason to wait (much) longer.
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12/16/2012 - jaga Likes this wine: 93 Points
While not a blockbuster Ducru, a fantastic drinking wine right now. Very, very tasty. A prior reviewer referred to this as a spring wine, implying it was a bit light. That wasn't what I saw here great wine in front of a blazing fire on a cool december day
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10/15/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Mature disc. Beautiful cedary, earthy, cassis and dark berry-driven nose; just a touch of iodine. Good substance but elegant, too. A classic, aristocratic St. Julien. Perfect balance on the palate; concentrated but not over-extracted. It's been a few years since I drank this last and it's come along; I think this will develop nicely as it ages.
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7/6/2012 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Delicious bordeaux, mineral, red cherry, pencil lead flavors, very elegant.
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6/30/2012 - matro wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 90 minutes. It was reminiscent of other 99 bordeaux I've had, fruity, on the lighter side, very elegant. The finish was fairly lengthy. I don't think this one is going to evolve any further (other than decline).
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6/22/2012 - ddkk wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for one hour. A very promising nose: Deep liquorice and berry and a bit of earth. Deep garnet colour with slight bricking rim. Bright and viscous. Fading fruit, but still medium bodied, giving way to slight medicinal finish. But overall, aging nicely. Not sure it will benefit with further age. This is one of my favorite estates in Bordeaux and this wine exemplifies that good estates even in average vintages will outperform.
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6/4/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
Much better than the last one, but this is probably due to the weather! The 99 is a perfect spring wine: what tastes floral and elegant now tasted light and vapid in midwinter. Blackcurrants and a touch of cranberry, leading into wild strawberries and a hint of cream, understated finesse and elegance.
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4/8/2012 - DSo wrote: 91 Points
popped and poured, deep ruby colour, good aromatic and expressive nose, good balance of the soften tannin and acidity, medium to full bodied, drinking very well now, can last for 5-10 years.
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2/8/2012 - mstar wrote: 88 Points
A disappointment. Thin and fading quickly. Purchased from the PLCB. 'Nough said?
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12/14/2011 - spv wrote: 91 Points
Very elegant, refined. Nice nose, well structured - a bit thin, however. But very nice overall.
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11/15/2011 - dannyk8232 wrote: 92 Points
Give this a couple of hours to unwind, and it will really open up. An underrated, floral Bordeaux from what I believe to be an underrated vintage. Great fruit and an approachable, soft structure. Wish i had more.
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11/13/2011 - tomandlu wrote: 91 Points
Decanted roughly one hour. Deep but not opaque garnet-red color with only slight wateriness at the rim. Classic nose of cedar, pencil lead, cassis, and red clay. Fully mature and beautifully balanced on the palate with the trademark Ducru elegance fully displayed. Lacks a bit of depth and complexity to be truly great but this is still an oustanding wine by my standards. Drank alongside the 1999 Leoville-Poyferre at Rabbit Bistro in Eugene, OR. Brought from my cellar.
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10/22/2011 - Henrik M wrote: 96 Points
fabelagtig moden og stadig spænstig. drukket i frankrig oktober 2011
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10/14/2011 - jkoenen wrote: 88 Points
Tour de Bordeaux; Next stop: St. Julien @ my place (Netherlands): Soft and timid mature nose, showing some cabbage/cooked veggies. Slender, slightly rustic and classically structured, with fading fruit. It does have loads of smoky ceder and tobacco, leather, cola etc. Nevertheless, it makes a vivid and refreshing impression in the mouth. Drink up. 16.5/20
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6/11/2011 - paulst wrote: 88 Points
Nice lead pencil and light blackberry nose; soft and round without much opulence; balanced but a bit flabby.
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5/22/2011 - brewery44 wrote: 89 Points
Nice nose. A bit of barnyard and band aids even after 3 hours of breathing. Dark ruby red, medium to full body. Guests preferred a 2006 Rioja.
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4/15/2011 - sababa1022 wrote: 87 Points
Nice nose. Tart and thin on the entry. Glad it was my last bottle.
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3/30/2011 - yoramsol wrote: 92 Points
What a wonderful wine. Tempting Bordeaux color and vivd dark fruit smell combined with some leather and sweat. Balanced, very elegant, still lots of years ahead.
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2/21/2011 - Dave Canada wrote: 91 Points
Nice nose but a touch thin on the palate and singular on the backend.
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2/3/2011 - Rani wrote: 88 Points
Tasted blind. Quite polished and modern on the nose, fruit-driven with plums and blackberry. Overtones of almonds. Silky on the palate, feels young and yet ready to drink and lacking backbone. I was surprised that this was a Ducru - the least structured one I've had.
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2/2/2011 - sfqwino wrote: 91 Points
The wine actually tasted better than the score might suggest. Very expressive nose of spice and oak. Blue fruits, spices and herbs, leather, a little earthy character coming through. The oak induced flavours were starting to show faint signs of age. Very nice and textbook St Julien. Smooth and rounded tannins on a mid length finish. Very good and drinking really well though I would expect a little more oomph, considering the price and pedigree of this wine.
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11/23/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
Very expressive nose. Sweet, pure, elegant. Soft and balanced on the palate. Ready to drink now.
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11/19/2010 - markjanes wrote:
Boys nite II, fall 2010 (Reno, NV): I think most of the notes are accurate below... a very nice Ducru that manages to have the friendliness of the 99 vintage in good balance with the earthy, elegant, St Julien thing... great balance,, good length, very good intensity and complexity... very nice finesse with a likably, but reasonably traditional claret texture, great expression of place. Hitting its stride, barely 'outstanding' wine for me that I very much enjoyed...
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10/16/2010 - Urodude wrote: 92 Points
outstanding. well-integrated tannins, long finish. Paired with hanger steak.
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5/28/2010 - wir Likes this wine: 93 Points
First sniff showed a tomato flavor which then blew off. Expressive nose and of cedar, red fruit and cassis. Really nice nose showing elegance and freshness.
In mouth the same fresh and fluid style, nice earthy texture, excellent acidity. Finish is good.
A great bottle showing a very elegent and distinctive character. Loved it.
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5/27/2010 - Joealex wrote: 93 Points
Very nice claret from medicore vintage
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5/27/2010 - jpijg wrote: 92 Points
Nose : graphite, blackcurrent, confit cherry. In the mouth, the wine is pleasant. Tanins have medium strength and have been rounded by time. The wine has also some evolution with autumn forest and smoky hints. FruiGraphite and cigarbox flavours add anothe layer of complexity. It is not a long distance runner, but it drinks very well now. Frm a pure pleasure perspective, I find it better than 1995
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5/22/2010 - englishman's claret wrote:
Served from a 375ml at 62 degrees. Decanted and tasted.
Beautiful, dark garnet robe - just opaque at the center with a touch of brick at the edge. Wonderful, voluptuous nose of leather and cedar, ripe dark fruits, a mineral backbone. An elegant yet powerful nose, with some cigar, earth. Really excellent nose. A hint of animal, iodine notes. Most intense aromatically within the first 30 minutes or so.
Delicious palate, similar notes as on the nose but the iodine comes forward slightly and leaves an oak, tea-leaf note on the finish. Classic Medoc, just so complex and each element so perfectly in balance. Still tannic (and the tannins are a bit gritty, especially compared to the silkiness I remember in the '96), but excellent acidity and alcohol rounding out the medium body.
I find myself more and more taken with Ducru-Beaucaillou. An exciting wine that is probably drinking well now in 750ml format and one that I suspect will drink for at least 20 years beautifully.
4.5/5
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2/24/2010 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
Finally hitting its stride after several years of being uninteresting. Cassis, cherry, leather and little tobacco. Softening from a couple of years ago, and just entering its plateau of drinkability.
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2/19/2010 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Dark garnet hue. Nose of cedar, red currant, cassis. Black currant fruit with plenty of leather and spice counterbalanced by fine-grained, grippy tannins and pleasing acidity. Long finish with nice concentration and a lash of black cherry fruit at the end. Drinking very well. From a 375.
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12/26/2009 - paulst wrote: 87 Points
Fruited nose; light body; a bit unconcentrated; slightly harsh; short finish.
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11/14/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 91 Points
Needed some air to open, but then very nice, consistent with prior notes.
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11/9/2009 - Greg Pierce wrote:
Dark opaque garnet with very slight lightening at the rim. Dark fruit, strawberry and spices on the nose. Dark fruits balanced by some nice acidity, with a bit of a coffee/mocha follow through on the palate. A good bordeaux, drinking pretty well now.
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11/8/2009 - Miceri wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux red; good nose of blackberry; soft, mellow, lacking a bit of depth, but sweet and nice. Longish aftertaste. Ready to drink.
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10/26/2009 - paulst wrote: 89 Points
Blackberry on the front; a little out of balance; nice earth; can be harsh; moderate finish.
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10/25/2009 - eschwet wrote: 92 Points
Great balance. Still good color ten years in, slight rim fading. Nose is more red fruit, cherry, strawberry. Some spice/smoke/leather. Not overly oaky. Palate is wonderfully balanced, soft good finish. Little in the way of tannin, but I'm sure it will last an easy 5+ years from here.
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9/29/2009 - Rupert wrote: 88 Points
Ducru-Beaucaillou 1961 to 2004 over dinner (Hawksmoor, Spitalfields, London): Warm and ripe, lacking a bit of oomph
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8/23/2009 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
I loved this wine. Garnet color. Intoxicating nose of strawberries, raspberries, red cherries, blackberries, wet earth and a little smoke. Similar tastes on the palate. Smoothe, tannins mostly integrated. Medium body. Pleasing, though not especially long finish. Granted, 1999 lacks the concentration and power of some other years, but it compensates with great balance and finesse. This is a wonderful wine any time, but on the lawn at Tanglewood during a welcome break in the rain, with my beautiful wife of 30 years by my side, eating a nice aged cheddar with crisp crackers and the BSO playing Beethoven's 9th, it was an Ode to Joy.
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6/7/2009 - sonakul_t wrote: 90 Points
Good bottle, dark red filled with nice cherries. Still a bit too young or in the sleeping stage
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5/30/2009 - Ibetian wrote:
For some reason, this bottle seemed a little tighter than the one I drank last year. Wait until 2010 to try again, plenty of quality, complexity and potential.
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5/29/2009 - bon vivant wrote:
Took to Paul F. for nuggets game. Nice out of the chute & got better with 1/2 hr decant. Continues to show well for another 1.5 hrs (in the decanter) after which it started to fade. Nice dark fruit notes and a little spice. No notes of green tannins or harshness. At a nice place and showing very well for the vintage.
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5/21/2009 - Miceri wrote: 89 Points
Slightly closed on the noce, a bit of pencil; dark and deep taste; clearly good but lacks a bit of nose and after-taste; perhaps in a few years?
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4/2/2009 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. The eye showed only the beginning of some browning, and on the whole this continued to look pretty young. It had a good nose of baking spices and possibly vanilla. There were also hints of secondary floral smells. After some time in the glass I think the nose became a bit muted and also changed to more of a tobacco and cherry type deal. The palate was nice with some dark cherry and red fruit tastes, though I was less than impressed with the back end and the finish, which I thought were short and maybe even slightly green. Nonetheless, a good showing, certainly better than the last bottle.
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2/9/2009 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 88 Points
After a couple of hours of decanting, this wine hit a high note and was drinking well for half an hour. Unfortunately, it petered off rather quickly and lost some luster around the three hour mark. This started off with a bit of a woodsy, tobacco taste replaced quickly by some red fruit, and a little pepper on the finish. All in all, a good wine, but we may have expected a little more from a second growth, even in this vintage.
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1/31/2009 - Alex H wrote: 84 Points
AWFS Lo Hey Dinner with 99 Bord and More (My Humble Home): Cigarette ash tainted, slightly floral perfumed, cherryish and very gently feminine. Ringing cherry fruit gently gliding on the palate with graceful turns and ballet-like movements. Not the most memorable of ducrus but this is as right bank as a left bank can get.
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1/31/2009 - Paul S wrote: 91 Points
Lo Hei potluck with 1999 Bordeaux and other wines (Alex's place): Certainly not a profound wine, but this was lovely and drinking very nicely. Darkly fruited cassis and cherries on the nose, shading over to dried cherries with time, along with touches of meat and earth and a light layering of cedar. Classic Ducru notes of stewed tea and fragrant flowers - chrysanthemum maybe? Very luscious and seductive palate, Plush on the mouth, but never too dense or modern, just nicely balanced with fargrant cherry flavours and touches of spice and tea leaves towards the finish with a little layer of vanilla. This was a big hit with the ladies.
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1/30/2009 - GSW wrote: 91 Points
Brought by a guest to a dinner party. Popped and poured from a double magnum. Very youthful overall and, with air, improved throughout the evening. Dark ruby color, a nose of black cherry, smoke, spicebox and some earth, tannic on the palate, medium finish. Great fun to drink, but still quite young. Should last many years.
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1/22/2009 - SGS wrote: 89 Points
Nose of red fruit and some tobacco. Tastes similar, with a plummy finish. Could last a couple of more years but not too long.
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12/25/2008 - Willy W wrote: 91 Points
drank over 3+hrs. undecanted as situation dosent allow. i strongly suggest to decant a ducru beaucaillou. initial nose very much muted for at least 1+ hr, but once it starts to open, wow!!. what a sweet beautiful young thing! the nose is like a delicate carass from a sweet beautiful girl. if you like the nose of cassis mixed with castor sugar, then this is for you. there is consistency on the nose and palate as well. palate is not very complex but not too bad either. i like this wine very much actually. my only qualm is that i expected it to be bigger.
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11/26/2008 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
Best bottle of this yet. Complex nose of dark cherries, strawberries and blackberries, with a bit of smoke and a little wood. Smoothe, elegant wine, great with venison.
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9/30/2008 - ParkHill wrote: 92 Points
Very nice combination of flavors. Good balance; tannins are not hidden by the plentiful fruit but not intense. A bit of vanilla-blackberry-cream, but neither too oaky, too fruity nor too jammy. Pleasure quotient at this price point is very high even at retail on a 10 year (almost) wine. I think Parker describes it pretty well.
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6/30/2008 - chbeaumont wrote: 91 Points
Not that deep; classically left bank- tending to Pauillac- lead pencils & blackcurrent pastilles; rounded, easy going, silky, medium bodied. Harmonious, has real style. Drinking well now but may yet improve. Excellent but not great.
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5/17/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
WIML90
Tasted May 17, 2008
Opened and served immediately. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Tight nose giving way to some notes of berries, melted black licorice and some currants. Flavors of black cherries and berries. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Drink with a decant or continue to hold.
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4/17/2008 - dmbaggett wrote:
This is fabulous right now. Very mellow, but lots of fruit. It's not a wine that will last forever, so drink it up!
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4/12/2008 - Gregory Dal Piaz wrote: 90 Points
this offers up an intense bouquet of cassis and blackberry fruits on the nose edged with gentle tones of very ripe herbs, spicy poppy seeds and fresh oak tones with a top note of dried red chili. This is more austere and structured than the Kirwan with more aggressive tannins. Still quite young and darker than many 1999's this seems to be quite somplete if not yet fully open and the quality really shines through on the long finish with it's nuanced chili and herb tones accenting the dark fruit. A lovely bottle in the making though the tannins need time to resolve themselve but judging from the nose and finish there is ample fruit. 2010-2020
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3/3/2008 - tendring wrote: 98 Points
Just opaque, lots of age.
Pleasantly perfumed, a little meatiness, complex, lovely.
Beautiful in the mouth, great complexity, fruity and fresh, gorgeous, ready now, great length.
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2/27/2008 - loverboy wrote: 93 Points
Ruby red in color. Medium-Full bodied wine with lovely nose of cassis, red berries, very st.Julien . Gained weight with times, fine tannin and long 30 secs finish
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2/24/2008 - Ltim BE wrote: 93 Points
Lovely nose, soo much blackberry and blueberry, the dark fruity notes are lovely and the palate is perfectly round and mellow. A little cedarwood and cigarboxes. What a great expression and almost perfect to savor now.
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1/31/2008 - drunkstar wrote: 92 Points
love it.....cedar, pencil lead and fruit...nicely balanced....drinking well now
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12/26/2007 - Marco68 wrote: 89 Points
Popped at lunch Ducru 99 shows purple colour with very youthful signs, in the glass is very ripe with the oak in evidence yet.
At the nose cherry,currant,blackberry,blueberry,black pepper,pencil lead,vanilla,tobacco you can find a really nice complexity.
The mouth is smooth and soft, but it doesn't have the same complexity of the nose,it lacks more power and grip.
The wine at this stage is still very young, but already approachable, it'll age well but of course 1999 is not a great vintage.
Anyway,the steady quality of Ducru Beaucaillou, is not questionable!!!!!
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10/24/2007 - DavidK wrote: 92 Points
Diepdonkerrood. In de neus: mokka, zwarte bessen, kersen. Een ontzettend heldere, zuivere neus. Vervolgens een schitterende, brede aanzet in de mond. Bakken met rood fruit. Een romige, zalfachtige structuur. Tannines helemaal verweven. Superrijpe framboos en kersen. Toppunt van finesse. Deze wijn belééf je meer dan dat je ''m proeft. 18/20
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10/10/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby. Cherry and strawberry on the nose. Smoothe, medium body, exceptional balance. Elegant. Drinking well, though years of life ahead. I'll finish mine over the next 2 - 5 years.
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8/26/2007 - pbjosh wrote: 92 Points
Rich, sweet fruit and cedar. Very aromatic and sexy on the nose. Not as concentrated as a more powerful vintage on the palate but perfectly balanced and elegant. Drinking well now but should continue to improve for several more years. Fantastic bottle from a great producer in an under appreciated year.
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7/25/2007 - RockinCabs wrote:
Nice wine just coming into drinking peak drinking. Ultra luxurious Bordeaux. The bottle opened with lush cherries, sweet fruit and beautifully smooth cocoa. As it developed more earhty licorice blackberry, and mineral began to come through. This was truly a fantastic bottle, and right in the same range as the Leoville Barton 2001 that I drank early this year.
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6/29/2007 - jc-mmb wrote: 91 Points
red fruits and cedar on the nose. muouthfeel is light on the palate. strawberry, creamy blueberry, subtle pencil lead. some tannins but not overpowering. shorter finish than expected.
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6/12/2007 - paulst wrote: 94 Points
Earthy oaky nose followed by earthy tones of blackberry, cherry, chocolate with a long lingering finish of deep creamy blackberry and vanilla background.
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6/10/2007 - G Kapoor wrote: 94 Points
tasted on 3/1/07 with one word to describe it, Silky. This wine is drinking extermely well right now with loads of black cherry and currants, hints of pencil lead with creame de casis. Very nice mid palate with a long silky finish
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4/21/2007 - win wrote: 89 Points
Tasted at large dinner party. Minimal notes. 87-91
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4/21/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
Dallas Offline - April 2007 (MikeB's house in North Dallas, TX): WIML90,WA91,WS89
Tasted April 21, 2007 at an offline. Tasted from a Spiegelau Authentus Magnum glass. Purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of cedar, dark fruits, dried herbs and perhaps some floral components. Flavors of chewy red fruits, berries and cherries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drinking rather well at the moment.
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3/28/2007 - Ibetian wrote: 90 Points
Starting to drink well
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3/19/2007 - frqntflyr wrote: 91 Points
drinking very well! beautifully balanced. Medium body. Classic St. Julien style.
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1/16/2007 - Sweet Nancy wrote:
Wonderful nose of dark fruit - cherry and blackberry- with a bit of funk. Mid palate had notes of barnyard and pencil (graphite) with smooth raspberry, the finish had chewy tannins and a lingering but distant fruit profile. Wish I had more!
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4/19/2006 - JBBridge wrote: 89 Points
Classic Bordeaux: big nose with cassis and cedar, cassis and graphite on the palate. Complex and evolving in the glass. Accessible now, but with quite a bit of tannin left. Vintages like 1999 that get overshadowed by vintages like 2000 often provide great deals, and I think this is one of them.
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1/26/2006 - wfm wrote: 91 Points
Very nice...
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12/27/2005 - dougsmith wrote: 91 Points
Intense nose of blackcurrants, spice, some barnyardy notes; on the palate this tends towards a bit of bitterness with slightly rough tannin.
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11/19/2005 - MRichman wrote:
St. Julien Fest (NYC): Soft, herbal, some sweetness. Best of the three (95, 96, 99) for current drinking, but not on potential.
B++
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11/14/2005 - Michael wrote: 89 Points
Needed 20 minutes in the glass but then very enjoyable wine. classic style with nice fruit.
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11/10/2005 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
Winestreet Tastes Bordeaux: Ruby red. Great St. Julian nose. Big mouthfeel. Fresh red fruit. Slightly bitter. Tannic with a lingering finish. I really enjoyed this wine a lot.
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8/3/2005 - serialmonkey wrote:
Century Wine Club - August 2005 (Scarborough Wines): Lots of caramel and chocolate on the nose, very intoxicating. Slight brown tinge on the rim. Decent legs in the glass. Huge fruit, but a lighter lift mid-palette. Fairly long with the chocolate and mint flowing through the palette. Soft tannin structure abit of a surprise.
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8/1/2005 - cassetta wrote: 89 Points
Nice wine that will make a great drinker with a few more years in the bottle. A little thin on the mid palate and a short finish but overall a success for the vintage.
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2/6/2005 - DougLee wrote: 90 Points
A little young, but Uncle Bob rated it "early maturity" so away we went. Magenta-purple with no lightening at edges. Nose already very nice. Cassis, pencil lead, and cedar galore. The palate took a while to open up, but after 2 hours, exhibited fruit and grip in a surpisingly melodious and elegant package. Enjoyed it a lot. From a half bottle.
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1/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Blind 1999 Bordeauxs @ Amici's: Similar to the Leoville, but slightly more open. Minerals, pencil lead, tannin, etc. Nice.
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12/18/2003 - Eric wrote: 87 Points
Tasted at McCarthy & Schiering. This has an unusually bright nose of black cherry that I never would have picked out initially as Bordeaux. However, with half an hour in the glass some soy and mushroom emerged and gave this a beautiful, earthy edge. However, the palate and finish seem fairly tight and closed in right now, somewhat unyielding without much power or persistence.
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11/1/2003 - jmcmchi wrote: 89 Points
Tight and fairly closed nose, eventually revealing some graphite and bramble
So-so at moment, should maybe open in a few years
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1/31/2003 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
Red Carpet: Deep dark forest; stemmy, big, immature t’s, young, unbalanced in the mth, “separated” characteristics (t’s, taste, body)--not well integrated. Maybe it is in process of “shutting down”.
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11/17/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 92 Points
Yet another 99 Bordeaux worthy of cellaring. A big deep red-purple wine full of aromas of blackberries and crushed roses that carry over with some rich rasberries and chewy tannins on the finish.
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11/8/2002 - peternelson wrote: 95 Points
Red Carpet: Fruitier, softer nose than Leoville Las Cases; deep ruby colored; flowers, cassis, lighter body, bigger fruit & cassis; amazing they’re both St. Julien! Always a fav.
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11/7/2002 - Vino Me wrote: 92 Points
This was my 2nd favorite wine of the tasting also. It had a spicey nose. I noted blackberry, dark cherry and black pepper flavors. It was full bodied and had a long finish. I think this wine had more Petit Verdot in it than the other Bordeauxs at the tasting. 92 points.
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7/20/2002 - peternelson wrote: 95 Points
Brad’s Cabin: Deep opaque purple; intense cassis, licorice; blkberry; very rich, silkysmooth; very nice rich, bal., supple t’s; long fin., extremelyelegant.
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