Showing lovely dusty leather and cedar notes on the nose that are complimented by soft licorice raspberry and blackberry preserves. The wine is beautifully balanced with flavors of forest floor and mushroom then rounds out with soft truffle and blackberry. This wine has held up beautifully and is drinking very nice. (3/5/24)
Opened the bottle and took out a glass. Let the wine breathe in the bottle for a few hours. Wine was still closed, so I decanted it. Still closed even after several hours. The cork was intact, perfect fill, and barely anything creeping up on the cork. Honestly, this cork looks brand new.
Presented as incredibly closed upon opening. Even after two hours of air and a subsequent two-hour decant, it remained relatively closed but somewhat more approachable. However, not much came through during the first few hours of drinking. Two days later, upon revisiting, the wine exhibited a remarkable transformation. On the nose, it offered enticing aromas of blackberries, graphite, blackcurrants, plums, and a touch of mint. On the palate, it showcased a velvety texture, endless length, and persistent tannins. The nose and palate included blackcurrants, blackberries, dark plums, along with subtle notes of iron, blood, mint, tobacco, and leather. Overall, it evolved from initially closed to an incredible and complex wine, just wow! I don't think I would revisit this for another few years - I would say consider cellaring for another five years.
Excellent level - from auction, slightly muted on opening, needed 1-2 hours in the decanter (and evolved over the evening) to really come together and open itself up, but nuanced and classic once in position
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2 hour decant. Tannins full at outset. Bit of must on opening but gone quickly. Tannins mellowed by one hour. At 2 hours ready, Robust dark fruit with tobacco, leather, some fern. Thins out a bit over the mouthful but elegant long finish.
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This is the same rating as the last time I had this wine a few years ago, however I suspect this could easily get to a higher score with more air. Opened and decanted for Christmas dinner about 2 hours before eating. Tasted at first opening—the nose was stunning and open full of plummy fruit, but the palate was completely closed. I would have given this at least 5 hours if I could have convinced my hangry family to eat later (I mean, wine is far more important than food, right?) But it was almost there by the time we sat down for dinner. The nose still so expressive, now with tobacco and pencil lead to accompany the rich plummy fruit. On the palate the tobacco notes prevailed with the fruit poking through with hints of what it could be. Excellent structure and a long life ahead for my remaining bottles. I snuck 4 oz to try on day 2 or 3 and will update if there is any change.
23112023 - Ducru Beaucaillou dinner at Potager KL. Was totally amazed and this left me almost speechless. Amazing nose from the start. Balanced dried fruit, sexy barnyard, manly musk but yet so much elegance. A ballerina doing the tango on my palate. Wow!!
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This took a bit of air to open up, but it proved to be in a nice drinking window. Silky, melt-in-your-mouth tannins, cedar, dark fruits and leather. Beautifully balanced.
Thank you Lisa Perrotti-Brown for your excellent mentions of Indian spices, plums, figs and espresso on the nose. You are spot on. I was especially enjoying the exotic spices.
This full bodied gem of a wine is in perfect shape and should keep at peak for another decade.
Seems like I’ve enjoyed this wine even more than Lisa Perrotti-Brown, hence my 98 points.
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16th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, consistently excellent and little changed since last bottle in July 21, fragrance even more enthralling than palate, touch of ash now in flavour profile, but well covered by graphite laden black fruit, and good drive and persistence, nice old style elegant Ducru on maturity plateau with balance to hold for 15+ years. F+ (18).
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Amazing how youthful this remains. Color is beautiful. Lots of structure. We pretty much popped and poured, and in hindsight, I think an hour or so decant would have improved it, as it softened over time. Lots of blue/black fruit on the nose and more there on the palate. Probably a notch below “excellent” (less of the soft fruit I associate with other top St Juliens) but despite being 28 years old, I think this one improves and has a long life ahead. Very much enjoyed it.
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Decanted for four hours. A touch of green on the nose and palate when opened, which dissipated. Classic, old school, and still a youngster at twenty eight years old. In the good to very good camp, with years of life ahead.
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Disappointing. Would not open up, even with 2 hour decant. Just flat without any real personality. Stored well underground cellar for ten years. Auction bought. Bottle looked good. Great recent reviews. Either too late or too early. Tend to think too early. Hints of things, like balance and hidden tanins. I feel that if could have waited two days, it would be revealing itself. At restaurant, should have recorked and taken home. Carry backup wine.
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Excellent wine, tertiary dominated, animal, savory, spice, farmyard a bit. The fruit is surprisingly fresh given the age. Finish a bit lacking, though.
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Wine is at peak and might start to decline so Drink Now. Beautiful tertiary aromas and nose, palate is harmonious, lots is happening, slightly less intense on the finish (open 1h ahead and poor would be my reco, no need to long decanting, will lose some sharpness on the end).
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Wow, best bottle yet of this wine that has now reached its plateau of maturity. It possesses a gorgeous silky texture with layers of black fruit and good freshness. The finish is just so good with complex notes of graphite minerals and Asian spices. I love where this wine is right now from well-stored bottles. Double-decanted 5 hours.
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Cloudy crimson with the barest hint of browning at the edges under the light. Eucalyptus and menthol at the beginning nose, which is rare in my experience, with milk chocolate undertones. The bouquet is absolutely delightful. Notes of fungi, black loam, sweet mushy red fruits, and tons of aged nuance. Delightful.
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Was a little bit worried that this wine might be on the decline. Not this bottle. Relatively slim, old-style elegant wine, but overall less spectacular than I expected.
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certainly mature, this is surprisingly lightweight but that may be just a stage and it may well "fill" again as it develops - lovely wine and quite distinctly a Ducru-Beaucaillou, it is complex and really quite long, and may well improve
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Brilliant medium ruby with zero sign of color degradation. The nose opens with tar, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, and a hint of mint, all more reflective of an aged Shiraz than an aged Bordeaux. Delicious with the tingling typical of eucalyptus but just a hint of the taste and mixed berries.
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I have trying this annually for the last 5 years tracking its evolvement, and have enjoyed it at every stage of its development. It has really hit its stride in the last 12 months, and with a structure that means it should be drinking for the next half century. The taste profile is as per previous notes with red berry fruits, but lingering notes of rose are now apparent lending a real delicacy to the palate. The tannin is sweetening, but will always keep that bite particularly on the finish. 1995 always seems to be one of the divisive vintages, and admittedly it is old school, but I am a great fan. A lengthy decant still really helps at this stage and the wine kept on developing in the glass throughout the evening.
The cork broke as we tried to open the bottle, yet it was still clear, dark ruby red, and redolent of eucalyptus, medium-bodied. Very smooth and dry, with a somewhat puckery finish. Quite possible that we waited too long!
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Deep ruby colour. Cherry and red berries with forrest floor. The tannins are soft and integrated. Much enjoyed by everyone having Christmas lunch. I think this wine has peaked and best drunk soon. Altogether a very good wine but for me, not to keep much longer
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Wine evening (Restaurant Krietsch, Schwäbisch Gmünd): Popped and poured. Clear, deep garnet with fine sediment. Fine red fruit, high acidity, some weird bitter notes. Probably a suboptimal bottle. Ok, but nothing special.
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (typically 40 to 80% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Deep, rather opaque and relatively youthful blackish-red color. The nose feels vibrant, complex and quite youthful with bold, rather fruit-driven aromas of ripe dark fruits, some leathery funk, a little bit of wizened dark berries, light juicy cassis tones, a hint of pipe tobacco, a touch of plummy red fruit and a whiff of inky character. The wine feels dense and quite sinewy yet still surprisingly airy on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and intense, quite youthful flavors of fresh blackcurrants and slightly wizened dark fruits, some woody notes of pencil shavings, a little bit of leathery character, light notes of pipe tobacco, a hint of earth and a touch of gravelly minerality. The wine still retains its impressive sense of structure with its high acidity and still quite assertive, moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is dense, powerful and quite grippy with a long, savory aftertaste of ripe blackcurrants and some wizened red plums, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light earthy notes, a hint of old leather and a touch of tobacco.
This wine was identified as a Left-Bank Bordeaux quite immediately, but for a wine much younger than it actually was - I guess the oldest guess was 2000, but also vintages like 2010, 2008 and 2005 were suggested. I was pretty much floored to learn the wine was 1995 - especially when the bottle we tasted earlier this year seemed to be already gliding downhill. This wine was not only fully alive, but also remarkably youthful for its age, showing quite a bit of room for further development with its still rather unresolved tannins and vibrant, concentrated fruit. The wine shows great harmony between its quite intense and bold fruit and its relatively delicate body - true to the old-school style of Bordeaux, this isn't a big and weighty bruiser, but instead surprisingly light on its feet. Despite its relative lightness the wine is definitely not lacking one bit in intensity, concentration or structure. All in all, this was a fantastic example of '95 Saint-Julien that was drinking remarkably well now, but still showing a little bit of aging potential. Not affordable at 150€, but I'd argue this bottle managed to offer bang for the buck.
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Right Bank vs Left Bank Bordeaux Through the Decades (Charlotte, NC): Double decant 2 hours prior to dinner and recorked; slo-ox for 30 minutes before serving. Intense barnyard on the nose but somewhat shut down. Full-flavored on the palate rich dark fruits enveloping your mouth – a big and delicious wine. Still a bit tight but flavorful. While still excellent, this wine lacked the finesse we saw in the other bottles in this flight. Medium + finish.
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Drank after a bottle of 82 Lafite, and it held its own. It picked some nice nuances with air but I would avoid a long decant as it may fade too quickly.
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Pretty cool with a lot still going on. Darker fruit but not too intense w a bit of rose and definitely tar and a good amount of cedar. Soft but the tannin is still there, short-medium finish with interesting tertiary things going on. A great experience w grilled NY strip.
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This seemed poised to be excellent. Aromatically it screamed Saint Julien. Yet somehow, despite being very good, it lacked the wow factor, never finding the next gear. Perhaps overshadowed by a remarkably fine 00 Clos des Papes and a very impressive 05 Trimbach Frederic Emile.
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Father's day dinner at home. Guinea fowl. Drinking beautifully now but with plenty of time for further evolution if not further points. My December '21 note still applies. Up to 40yrs from vintage.
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Had this about 5 years ago and it was lovely after a long decant. Thought I'd let this one breath in the glass a bit to see how it did. Probably needed an even longer decant than last time as it turned out.
Anyway....day 2 it is on song. Definitely a classical style, very moreish nose but more flint and herbs than fruit. Very dry, medium body, but with a superb and well structured finish.
Very interesting to taste the 1995s and 1996s lately. The former has been seemingly written off, and having tasted a few side-by-sides lately it's easy to see why. But this Ducru is definitely an exception- this wallops the '96.
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PnP. ABV 13%. Subtle nose with cool mints and flowers. Tannins mostly resolved, good length and complexity, finished with burnt tobacco and oaks. This has been fairly consistent at this level for quite a few years, not going anywhere for a while, should be enjoyable for many more years.
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My note mirrors the one from last year albeit with a point less, (normal for 25+ years old wines). For myself this only lags behind the sublime 1982 and 2003, and it just pips the 1996. There are a lot of detractors for the 1995 left bank in general, but they are starting to blossom. The Ducru is no exception and is a bit of a retro Bordeaux. Dark berry fruits, plum and tobacco dominate, but with 1995 you have to accommodate a tannic background. This wine is a favourite of mine, but one man's meat etc.
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Occasional dinner group: A mixed set.. (@ Bouwkunde, Deventer): Herb and spices and some impressions of celery in the bouquet. On the palate autumn forest and mushrooms, good acidity, but with the celery, the wine is not as perfect as it should be. No score for today, but see my score of 2021/05/28.
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Decanted shortly before dinner, and opened up nicely over the course of an hour. This wine is about balance, elegance and complexity. This was my last bottle of several. It will last longer, and might evolve in interesting ways, but I don’t think it will get much if any better.
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Six Vintages of Ducru Beaucaillou: 82/85/95/06/17/18. This mini vertical beautifully showcased that Ducru Beaucaillou is certainly one of the better left bank estates to cope with climate change: it still produces mineral/earth-driven, not too ripe wines with the signature St. Julien fresh blue fruit character. While there have been great wines before (the 1985 & 1982 were on fire and the best wines of the evening), the quality is steadily improving: even though I’m not the biggest fan of the 2017/2018 vintages in Bordeaux, these were some of the very best Bdxs from this vintage I’ve had to date. Ducru remains my favorite St. Julien estate thanks to more depth and more finesse than Leoville Barton (2nd), higher approachability and consistency than Las Cases (3rd) and less ripeness and more freshness than Poyferre (4th).
TN: Medium intense nose, slightly cloudy, much less precise than the 2006/2017/2018 tasted before. Notes of minerality, spices and some dark berries. On the palate this drinks better, with nice tertiary tobacco and wet forest floor notes wrapped around a slightly shy dark fruit core. Additional notes of spices. The tannins are still quite perceptible but are quite fine and round but the younger wines are definitely more polished than this one. High acidity but not the same perfect balance and integration as in the younger and older vintages we had today. The finish has medium length. Overall, this was the weakest wine in the lineup. It doesn‘t have the concentration, complexity and especially precision of the great vintages. Another wine that confirms my impression that 1995 is (or at least was) an overrated vintage. 1996 and 1998 have clearly more to offer.
Decanting: PnP from a 100ml glass/screwcap tube sealed with argon directly from the Chateau. Over the hour I followed the wine in the glass it didn’t change much. No improvement or deterioration. No extensive decanting needed.
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Nearly 3.5 years since my last bottling. This is still young. 5 hours in the decanter and this barely started to open. Despite that, this is a well balanced wine with a ton of grip still. This is probably 3-5 years out from its prime and should drink well for 2-3 decades.
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (typically 40 to 80% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind
Moderately evolved brick-red color with a tertiary rusty hue. Very classic Bordeaux nose from the rather evolved end of the spectrum; aromas of tobacco, some oxidative notes of beef jerky and soy sauce, a little bit of smoke, light sweet notes of dried blackcurrants, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of beef jerky. The overall impression is quite tertiary, but still recognizably very Bordelais in character. The wine is medium-bodied, quite intense and quite concentrated by the age with evolved, tertiary flavors of beef jerky, wizened dark berries, some gamey tones, a little bit of earth, light sweet notes of prunes and dried red fruits, a hint of tobacco and a touch of soy sauce. The overall feel is quite firm and structure-driven, thanks to the high acidity and still rather ample and grippy tannins. The lengthy finish is dry, tannic and slightly bitter with powerful and a bit tired flavors of beef jerky, some tobacco, a little bit of earth, light savory notes of old leather, a hint of wizened blackcurrants and a touch of soy sauce.
A still very firm, structured and moderately grippy Bordeaux that is structurally still quite tightly-knit, but flavor-wise already a bit tired and perhaps already sliding slightly downhill. This feels like the polar opposite of 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou, which was somewhat more youthful compared to this 1995, but showing very resolved and soft structure. This 1995, on the other hand, retained much more structure, but at the same time coming across as noticeably more evolved in character. While neither of these vintages show that much potential for any further cellaring, I'd rather drink 1995 now and keep 1996, if only one vintage would be needed now. This is still very Bordelais in all possible ways and very much recognizable for one when tasting the wine blind, but I suspect it won't be in such shape for much longer - it's high time to drink up. Seeing how tertiary the wine is, I'd say it's rather expensive at 150€.
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We had this with lamb and it matched well. The wine still has almost full flavor and some years left, but maybe the fruit was slightly reduced from the last bottle. Nicely balanced from start to finish.
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Virtual mini-vertical with Ducru-Beaucaillou CEO Bruno Eugène Borie tasting the 1982, 1985, 1995, 2006, 2017 and 2018 vintages. The stand-outs were 1982 and 2018 while 1995 and 2006 were not at the top of the game. As Bruno explained, the estate benefits from “poor” quality soil with lots of stones which is ideal for vines. They plant 1 vine per square meter (10k per ha). Ducru also pointed out the climatic advantage of being close to the shore which means a bit cooler temperatures in the summer and warmer in the winter. They’ve been aging in 100% new barrels since 2003 for a traditional 18 months. All samples were from 100ml tasting tubes and poured into the glass 10-20min before tasting.
Tasting note According to Bruno, this was the First vintage with new equipment and renewed attention to detail and therefore already more modern in style than 1994. A smoky mineral layer, very well conserved fruit core, partly candid in nature. Also a fleshy, meaty element as well as sweet spices. Nose comes across much fresher than the palate which shows edgy tannin and a lack of structure to carry the acidity. With aeration this becomes more fruit-forward adding more spicy elements, but can‘t quite find the balance. I would slowly but surely drink up rather than cellar further.
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Nice nose of tobacco, black currant, cigar box, dark plum, earth, menthol, leather...a little soy sauce. Velvety fruit up front but a slight hole in the mid-palate. Medium + acid with lovely, dusty tannin. Didn’t feel that well integrated on day one but came together on day 2, showing it’s character and a little bit of magic. Thought provoking and very interesting to drink but not 100% sure this will develop into a great wine.
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Two (identical) bottles decanted together for a couple of hours. Earth, smoke, leather with grainy tannins. Core of brulé dark stoned fruits (once they emerged) balanced by somewhat capsid acidity that works in the mix. A wine that is very definitely (with breathing) enjoyable now but would seem to increasingly to have an evolutionary future beyond my initial 2030 thoughts. Now and till 2035. 93+
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Nose: deep berry fruit, cassis, ginger, cedar and plum. Nice ripeness, but the secondaries are beginning to open. Palate: classic and dark with more ginger and cedar. Clearly identifiable blind as Ducru, but there was a dryness on the back palate that had me questioning the vintage.
A classic Ducru that has decades ahead, but it is beginning to give the notes you expect from a quality vintage.
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The 1995 Ducru Beaucaillou is starting show show quite well without much coaxing, tonight offering a fresh dark berry nose accented by ginger, nutmeg, and cedar. I love its marriage of power (of which there is no lack - this is still 1995 after all) and elegance. Its best days are ahead, but it’s fun to watch these evolve.
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Napa and Bordeaux gathering (Clarity - Vienna, Virginia): Medium expressive nose displaying subtle red and black fruit, plum, a hint of cassis, strong green, floral cabernet dust, lead pencil, ash, leather and earth. Very good concentration, angular red fruit, bright acidity, rough mineral, coarse tannins and a long ripe red fruit driven finish with noticeable tannins and lead pencil at the end. This clearly expresses the unique vintage character, concentrated and ripe fruit yet there is also noticeable green and coarse tannins. The fruit is too green and the tannins are too coarse for my palate. This is approaching Sociando Mallet like greenness. Perhaps this will develop like the 75s.
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This is another left banker from 1995 that has blossomed into life in the last 12 months, but I still feel a few hours decanting pays dividends. It has hit its sweet spot and is a beautiful drink showing real maturity with secondary and early tertiary notes. The nose is deep and aromatic with plum, blackcurrant, tobacco, and cedar prominent and floral wafts. The previous tannic leanness is now a thing of the past and everything is integrated and balanced on the palate and finish. The latter does not quite match the rest of the experience but is still nudging 30 seconds. This still has possible upside in its evolvement, but there is no reason not to start enjoying this now.
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Still pretty tannic and can last far longer in the cellar. This particular bottle seemed to have a little brett funk and a slight hint of greenness to it, suggesting that it may be a little under-ripe. I'm going to attribute that to bottle variation. Still a very good wine, but this bottle wasn't as good as the last bottle I had from this vintage.
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No decanting needed for this bottle. Dark plum and red currant on the nose with hints of floral and graphite notes. Most impressive were the thick earthy tones of forest floor, emblematic of the savory qualities of this mature wine. The palate was vibrant and long with dark fruit, cedar and coffee. Tannins are not fully resolved but close; perfect spot for my taste. Followed over 3 hours without any change. Classically made and built for the long haul. No rush but delightful now.
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had a glass from a bottle a customer brought into the restaurant where I serve.. the first sips were like if a gong could be made out of pink flowers.. all fluttery and deep and breathy.. then the wine came apart.. started to taste tarry and off.. but the first sips were gorgeous : )
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15th of 24, opened 2 hours, perfect cork and level, little changed from last bottle noted in March 20, in top form very long and persistent, complex, nice acidic lift, tannins now fully integrated, balance for long haul but little upside from here. F+ (18).
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Spicy nose with cedar and berries. The palate is silky and harmonious. Drinking really well, though there’s at least another decade of prime drinking here.
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deep red color just starting to brick at the rim, classic profile on the nose of cedar, cassis, plums and clove, on the palate again a very traditional feel with ripe plums and cassis, aged forest and moss notes- with textured edges of dark spices and hints of vintage saddle throughout, all of this leads into a fine full peppery finish with intense forest and pine notes and aromas, of the many top 1995 Bordeaux I have revisited in the past two years this is the only one where a classically beautiful wine on the front end has led into a classic and lengthy finish to match, the balance here is superb and- for the moment- a rare thing, it gives me hope that perhaps some other 1995s will get to a better place with good finishes, but for now this is one 1995 you can revel in without worry, time in hand and perhaps a bit more development to come- but this is in a perfect place right now and drinking beatifully.
****+, ready to go with time in hand
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Just a beautiful dusty, nutty, red-spice driven nose. This is a taut wine with a grippy finish but there is a wonderfully complex, gruff mineral and spice crunch on the backend that is really amazing. Very recognizable Ducru flavors of woodsy dark fruits, chopped cedar, tobacco and mid-eastern spices. Old-style Ducru will lots of layered depth. Needed 2+ hours in a decanter and plenty of life left. Deep and savory after 4 hours...
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Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; a celebration (@ My place): Luxurious and complex bouquet with vanilla, black olives, cassis and other black berries. Same on the palate. Complex and in fact still youthful with beautiful acidity and still some round tannin as well as pleasant bitterness. Superb and fantastic wine which can probably easily last another decade. 96+
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Dark fruit on the nose. Definitely some earthy smells and what comes across to me as menthol. I don’t taste the earthiness in it that I smell. Medium body, smooth in the mouth and a longer finish than I would have expected. I have had other vintages of Ducru and I have decided that I like this wine but don’t love it.
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This is still holding up incredibly well. And has integrated even further since my last experince almost 2 years ago. Dark fruited, earthy, grippy, medium body with moderate acidity. I think this is just starting to hit its peak and will remain in an excellent plateau for years to come.
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Classic mid-90's Bordeaux. Good fruit cover, quite a lot of tertiary leather behind. Medium bodied, everything in balance. Long and complex. Drink now but will continue to evolve down the classic Bordeaux path for many years.
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This is still in evolvement, but is drinking beautifully with extended time in the decanter and ideally some time in the glass. This is developing a real elegance with age as the harsh 1995 tannic profile recedes. Blackcurrant, plum, tobacco and cedar are prominent with the latter becoming more forward with each outing. The balance is perfect and the finish is deceptively lengthy and continues to creep back for nearly 60 seconds. It is is a little light mid palate, and lacking real depth on the finish, but a little more time will surely address this. As mentioned previously this has the potential to become the best pre millennial vintage from the estate since the 1982.
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Mid-ruby, brick edges, not sharp; cedar, tobacco, cassis, sweet red fruit nose; mid-body; balanced; softening tannins; mid-minus intensity; good Cabernet fruit and flavor; hints of wood on the semi-short finish. Probably peaked. w/tri-tip. 17.5 UC Davis scale, 93 other scales.
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Opened and double decanted 4 hours in advance. I acquired this at auction about 15 years ago, so was unsure what to expect but hoping for the best. The cork was in excellent shape at age 25, and the wine was, as well. Undoubtedly the most complex of the four bottles and everyone’s favorite. Everything was in balance and there was a sense of elegance to the wine. Really delicious.
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Drank alongside a ‘95 Figeac, this was the much more restrained wine. Closed upon opening, eventually blossoming to show cassis, garrigue, lead pencil and mineral aromas with ~3h of air. Medium to full bodied, tight and showing secondary notes of cigar leaf and leather, with chewy tannins. Needs more time.
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Had against and Chilean cab. Two very different wines. Bordeaux went more aligned with beef tenderloin with notes of ash and light cocoa. Long finish. Great vintage need more
This bottle did not open up the whole evening. It was still a good bottle of wine but was not able to hold up against the other wines during the evening.
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Just a quick taste without much decant so I won't score it, but the depth of the fruit here is really superb and this should mature into a wonderful, precise Ducru-Beaucaillou.
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Very dark Perfect cork Dark berries, sweet cassis, dark spice, only lightly cedary and herbaceous, fleshy but refined texture, fine furry teeth-coating tannins, bright acidity, good overall structure. Flavours have knitted together nicely.
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Superb and in the right spot right now. If I had more I would uncork soon. Pine/Cedar with a lovely freshness and medium tannins. Drank at home with a ribeye
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This is really moving forward, but needs extended time in the decanter, and as noted last time it really comes to life after 30 minutes in the glass. The taste profile is as per the last review, blackcurrant, plum, and tobacco with a touch of the barnyard, but cedar is starting to become prominent. It does have the tannic edge so typical of the year, but the balance with the fruit is exquisite. The palate is complex and multi layered, and the finish is pushing 60 seconds. My only criticism at this stage is that although lengthy, the finish lacks final depth. With a structure to ensure at least a couple of decades at this level, it has the potential to become the best pre millennial Ducru since the 1982, and I already just prefer it to the fabulous 1996.
Faded label had me worried this bottle had been mistreated, but pouring it in the decanter reveals an astonishingly youthful, healthy ruby hue and no-doubter, room-filling aromatics heavy on the cedar and cigar-box notes. The fruit comes across more bricked and crimson-toned on the palate than that ruby color indicated, but the real shocker here is the texture, as the tannins on this have been brutish in the past, but this time it was cashmere-like in refinement almost from the starting gate.
Blackberry, raspberry, barnyard, mineral, charcoal, dried green herbs. This will live another 10-15 years easily but it was not a shame at all to open this weekend with a couple hours to decant, it's expressive and a good QPR if you can get it for under $200.
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Tasted blind. I am experiencing some bottle variation here, had a bad one a few days earlier. This was by far the best bottle so far. Lovely farmyard nose, forest floor, very classic Medoc. Medium bodied with sappy finish.
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Tasted blind. This bottle was very hot in the nose and most of us guessed right bank. Ripe fruit with brown color spectrum aromas of earth and toast. Unfortunately a drying finish.
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I like it whan a host lets me pick a bottle from their cellar. Decided for a 95 Ducru because I tasted the 96 two years ago and loved it. Too long ago for comparing, but definitely the same breed. The 95 is down right gorgeous on the nose. Interwoven fruit, dark berries, with secondary aromas, some hints pine needle. Elegant mouthfeel, refined tannins. A noble yet very approachable wine. Bottle was empty very quickly.
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Drank with seafood. Typical for older Ducru the nose was striking. There is a “fancy” smell to this Domaine that takes a while to develop but I love to uncover. Decanted for 1 hour prior. Very smooth and seems to be in the perfect window. As it aged it seemed to “thin out” but was still pleasant. I am a Ducru fan and this did not disappoint. Will probably drink most of the case over the next 5 years and leave three to see if I was wrong about ageability.
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very nice. fig/compote, not super tannic. this beauty has years ahead and requires a long (3hr imo) decant. Drank with my favorite ladies and some red meat
I usually pop 90s bdx about an hour before consuming and let it slow ox in the bottle. This one was still pretty tight and warranted an hour+ decant. Very well structured, still a touch tannic, fruit is beginning to subside and making way for tertiary flavors. It really started singing when we started dining. Ducru remains one of the most consistent producers in the world.
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Extensive Social Distancing Drink #7. Clean floral nose. Sweet and smooth on the entry. Tannins mostly resolved, ready to go. Dark berries and oyster shells with touch of cigarettes at finish. Long and complex, excellent wine. No hint of alcohol at finish, good balance. Ready for prime time but should last for another 10 to 20 years easily. This should be one of the best wines for the vintage. 森進一 is singing 襟裳岬 on YouTube, once it’s okay to travel, I am heading out to Hokkaido straight away.
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The 1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a glorious nose straight out of the bottle, with vibrant boysenberry, redcurrant, pencil, petrichor, and wildflowers - potent, fresh, elegant, complete. Gorgeously fresh palate with a long, elegant, mixed berry, and pencil lead finish that lasts for ages. Delightful. Followed for just over 5 hours in the decanter, this was at its most expressive during the first hour. 95-96 points today but depending on how it unfolds as this enters its plateau of maturity, the 1995 may eventually be more impressive than that.
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14th of 24, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, seems to have put on weight and richer than remembered in last bottle in October 14, now fully mature and with lovely tertiary flavours, but still attractive energy to cassis led fruit, long, persistent and complex, no rush. F+ (18).
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Great taste off with a ‘95 Ducru B and 96 Las Cases. The DB drinking better of the two, and maybe just more in its apogee. The Ducru was beautiful on the nose, raspberry and tar notes. So smooth, lots of lingering fruit. Terrific. The Las Cases’ nose “darker”, more plum and darker fruit notes. Similar palate. Also drinking well, I think I just enjoyed the Ducru slightly more. More upfront fruit. Both great 95-94 in OT?
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Was a bit worried as the bottle/cork showed signs of seepage, but was perfect, with classic Saint Julien notes of pencil lead and still a bit of blue fruit showing through. The mouth-drying tannins were tamed with a fantastic Flannery Beef Jorge ribeye. Don't hesitate to try now, but this clearly has a long way to go.
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Brûlé blackberry and wild red berries at its almost sweet core. Masses of earth, smoke and dry spice help balance this up. Charred oak. Alcohol heat still in the background adding assistance! Superb now but with future improvement potential. Breathe for at 3+ hours. Now till 2030. 93+?+
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Last tasted nearly 2 years ago, this is now finally ready to drink, but it still needs 5+ hours in the decanter to be at its best. Blackcurrant and plum are still prominent on the nose and palate, but cedar notes are starting to be matching. The tannin is steely, but exceptionally balanced and devoid of any harshness. The finish is pushing 60 seconds, and is in perfect harmony. The wine really continues to develop in the glass, (I upped the score by a couple of points over 2 hours,) and it bodes well for the future. This could end up being the best Ducru Beaucaillou of the last 50 years, and it has a structure to stay here for half a century. 96+
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After 20 yrs in my cellar i gave this a try and it was terrific. I only gave it 30” of decanting and it was redy to enjoy. The tannins were intense(which I enjoy). The black berry fruit is there but not sweet. Cedar and a tinge of menthol predominate over the fruit. I thought this was nearly perfect and still has plenty of substanve to last another decade.
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Enjoyed more than my prior bottles. I perceived more complexity and nuance. I did not decant for fear of fading quickly, I just let it breath. Polished.
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Ian's 1995 Dinner (Noize, London): This has an attractive, if slightly light, cedary. dark-fruited nose. A touch of beefiness too perhaps. Medium bodied on the palate, which is fully resolved and pleasant enough if a touch one-dimensional. Shortish finish too. Maybe something not quite right here. NR
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Favorite of the night in a Ducru Beaucaillou vertical. Very distinct differences between them but after drinking the 2001, 2002, 1998, 1999, 1997, plus some 2008 Pol Roger, 1986 Haut Brion and a 1999 Sudiraut I was in no condition to take notes or remember the details. But all would be great wines on their own and a fantastic evening.
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A wine that has opened from a long slumber, the 1995 was delicious tonight with a deep red colour and a classic nose of blackcurrant, cedar and touches of bitter chocolate, burning embers and blackberry leaf. The palate is mid-weight yet the fruit remains bright and even luscious with that savoury cedar balance leading into a very fine and long tannic finish. Classic St Julien with lovely persistence of fruit characters that are clearer than in bottles opened during that long slumber that followed the initial attention grabbing character of this wine.
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Perhaps not the best bottle. Showed some nice fruit and earth on the nose but the palate was equal parts cherry and vegetal/herbaceous notes. Medium- length.
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Super Seconds and the Like (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Double decanted for 3.5hrs. Drank a glass over an hour. From a run of ’55, ’70, ’89. And ’95 Ducru. This is another dense, full bodied wine. This comes off really young despite all the air. Sometimes you just can’t shake it lose. Dark fruit, gravel, tart black fruits, cassis, blackberry, gritty tannins. Good potential – maybe in 10 years with a check in around 5 or so.
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This another btl at the Capital Grill BDX dinner that got overshadowed by its table mattes. On its own may have impressed more than in the context of the wines opened that night.
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Champagne, Riesling, and Bordeaux with Skippy (Chicago, IL): A bit of a dull showing today -- this was just a pile of tannin with very little fruit. A little earthiness, but overall clamped down hard. I'll go with the customary "too young" excuse, but I couldn't find the fruit that will enable this to age into something great. I just hope the structure can round out a bit.
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Pnp, still very fresh nose of dark fruit, cedar, cassis. Palate was same, tannin was well integrated, great frame work here, felt much younger than anticipated, has plenty of years left, seemed to just be entering its prime drinking window with peak still a good ways out.
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Garnet edge, deep red core. Mostly black fruit on the nose, some bramble, spice, cassis, tobacco. Very pure and focused. Medium bodied, moderate acidity and grippy tannin on the palate. This is great now but still a bit aggressive on the palate, leading me to think this is not yet at its peak. Give it another 2-3 years to settle down a bit and enjoy for the next 10 easily.
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Dense, blackcurrant, cedar nose - still a bit curmudgeonly today but on the pure, deep palate there are glimpses of the intense mineral and violet perfume that one day will make the 95 so very special.
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More approachable than a bottle last year. Maturing fruit with nice leather, cigar and bell pepper complexity. Tannins are still noticeable, but fine in texture. Seems to be entering a good zone.
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Deep and rich black fruits are just turning complex. A powerful and crunchy Ducru that’s clean and fine with a superb mid-palate and great depth that leads to a concentrated finish with notes of dark cedar and exotic spices. Needed 1+ hours of air to open up. Drunk at dinner with Bruno Borie in his kitchen at the Chateau.
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Bob Mandeau's 60th Birthday. A stunner. Classic Bordeaux and just hitting a bit of a stride although I think I'd wait another 3-5 years before drinking again to compare. This has everything I look for in Left Bank Bordeaux.
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Coquettish; not quite showing itself fully yet but it's clear that this is a stunning Ducru Beaucaillou full of cassis, cedar, ginger, and mineral. This should probably be fully ready in about a decade. Easy choice to lay down a bunch of these now.
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One of the better wines from what has become a difficult vintage, due to the strong, harsh nature of the tannins, here you find a wine that is classic in nature. Firm, slightly rustic and with a touch of green in the nose and palate, this is what old-school, classic Bordeaux is all about. The wine is full-bodied and loaded with fruit, but rustic nature of the tannins intrude on what otherwise would have been a nice party.
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Ruby. Totally ready for the first pour. Cherry, soil, bonfire, touch of liquorice and leather. Oozes St Julian terroir. Ripe fruit but with a touch of savoury meaty edge. Some Burgundian nail polish finish (in a good way). Really interesting. Medium bodied, citrus, uplifting finish. Perhaps finishes slightly sour perhaps indicating it is totally at its peak. Delicious and thought provoking at the same time. Enjoy!!
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A fabulous bottle, with that typical Ducru velvet mouth feel and lingering ever-changing finish. Beautiful balance between fruit and tannin, with deep and complex flavors. The aroma was very pleasant but not very strong. It is the taste that conquers. Drunk with my attempt at Michel Guérard's roast chicken breast recipe, an excellent match.
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2 hour decant- this is highly enjoyable now with such pure fruit up front. I would recommend a 4-6 hour decant today. I saved a glass for day 2 and it certainly improved. This can certainly be enjoyed today but I agree with most that this still needs about a decade to reach its prime.
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Keith Levenberg's recent note on this intrigued me enough that I checked out a bottle now. I'm on the same page - this is a) awesome, and b) in need of YEARS. Decades, really. The aromatics take some time to build, and really emerge after a couple of hours in a decanter, but there's a lot here with graphite, cedar wood, and lower toned earthy flavours, and lots of dark fruit that's still quite primary. But it's absolutely compelling to sit and drink with a roast chicken, though the density and structure here suggest this has a long time ahead. This is a wine I need to put in my cellar.
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Decanted and filtered, then let rest for a short while before serving. It took a good while for it open up, but when it did our guests loved it. I thought it a bit tepid in its intensity and remembered a much more fruity and generous wine. I suspect our bottles are nearly over the hill.
Brief decant and off to Smith and Wollensky with Candy My last bottle, big wine with plenty of fruit with years ahead but drinking very nicely now Paired well with Cajun ribeye
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very good but not excellent; pretty bouquet - floral and bright red fruit; not much in terms of secondary aromas; light in the mouthful and bit short on the finish; likely past its peak
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Still has many years to peak, but this is one of the great super-seconds of the '90s the same way '86 Gruaud or Rausan Segla or, dare I say, '82 Pichon-Lalande, rocked the '80s. Hugely fragrant from the pop of the cork with deep blue/black fruit, pencil fillings, asphalt, and charcoal-singed meat. Packed with the same on the palate with that pencil thing oscillating back and forth between the lead fillings and the cedar shavings, along with a muscle-bound tannic structure that would make this seem tough if the fruit wasn't so intense. This is Pauillac-like in personality, but more brutish and rugged (and, I think, more packed) than the Latour or the Pichons of the same vintage. But it is expressive enough to be worth opening now even while it has all the ingredients of being a 50-year wine.
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Tasted alongside the 96 DB. Decanted about 2 hours before dinner. A regal purple color. At 23, still seemed a bit tight on the nose. Nice balance in the mouth, though a bit restrained, very fine, lingering finish.
A fine wine that could benefit from more time.
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Similar to previous notes, the wine is still in evolvement, but moving forward at a glacial pace. The last year has seen development with a nose still full of aromas of blackcurrent and plum, but the palate has moved forward with floral notes creeping in and with background hints of violet. The tannin is still in evolvement and quite sharp but balance and depth are both apparent. Most of the left bank 1995's are moving into their drinking plateau, but this does seem the exception and probably needs at least another 2 years to come into its own. If you want to drink this now, it is very enjoyable but do decant as long as possible.
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this wine is complete, full complexity and so well balanced, nose dark fruits and chocolate, mouth full of smooth chocolate and tobacco, tannins are reduced to be perfect, I just simply love it
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Well I tried the 96 DB recently so why not a 95 DB? Comments will reflect some comparisons.
Deep purple going to orange at the rim, darker than the 1996.
On the nose, deeper and richer than the 1996 and wonderfully complex: chocolate, coffee, tea, smoke, Gilman's nutskins, and lingering behind that all dried cranberries and other dried red fruits.
On the palate more leathery in quality than the 1995 (in a very pleasant way) with continuation of the black tea and tart red fruit notes.
More harmonious overall than the 1996 and expressing itself in deeper ways, with a richness and resonance not present in the younger wine.
94
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A beautiful bottle of wine. 30 min to hour decant has this juice singing. You won’t be disappointed if you drink this now. However, no rush as there are many years ahead for this star.
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Fantastic ++! Drank with a friend after a splash decant.
Fully mature dark ruby with minimal sediment. Nose of black raspberry dark fruits and a hint of spice Plenty of stuffing for another decade+ of terrific drinking If a date, this was a local soccer mom MILF you love to take on dates for her gracious charm and effervescent beauty. Crowd pleaser
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I have tried this a few times over the last decade and often found it to be obstinately backward, showing only few glimpses of what lies ahead. Recently I released three from storage. Dark fruits, tobacco and secondary development, with an alluring cool fruited languid palate. It has residual tannins but has lost its previous austerity. Very classy, delightful, lush, yet understated palate. Fine finish. This is evolving into a magnificent wine. Virtue of a good Ducru is on the mid-palate. It has has a fair amount of power and density but it is delivered so seamlessly. With a wine like this you can understand why some regarded it as the Lafite of St-Julien. I took some 1986 Ducrus out at the same time, which are now drinking very well, and a wine I have always liked. But the 1995 is the better wine, better than the 1982 as well.
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Mature garnet / brick color that bleeds to dull pink at the rim. Smoky cassis fruit nose that also gives off leather notes. There is a lovely sweetness to the aroma that beckons as sip. An aristocratic wine. Approaching full maturity. There is a tobacco note that mixes well with the ripe, yet restrained palate. Medium bodied and elegant - a claret. Not a blockbuster but boy do I like it. (93)
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Bottle variation with a flabby, thin, austere marked difference from the August note. Bottle in good condition, how bizarre> purple shiny bright, nose of plum and cassis, very thin and fast tears barely forming, slightly gripping in mouth, short dry finish.
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Decanted and removed a plentiful supply of solids. Started out really big with plentiful dark cherry and earthy notes. It evolved over the evening that underwent to subtle and rich, but always with a lovely sweet fruit nose.
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Tasted blind alongside Las Cases and Barton, and was the best of the three. Terrific balance, notes of black fruit, pencil shavings and coffee. Wonderful.
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Rather than the traditional breakdown and analysis, we just want to say that this is an outstanding stellar wine. Deep purple spicy nose, in perfect harmony with the structure and tannic armature of firmness and security. Decant for 2 hours by the third hour everything is sitting in beautiful harmony. Confidently proclaim a spectacular juice--- a true thoroughbred.
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Wonderful wine decanted for 90min. It's sure needs it. Nose is very expressive flower, lead pencil with raspberry. The Taste has a load of minerals and carmel flowing with boysenberry. This wine is still tannic and can be enjoyed today but benifit form another 7-12yrs of cellaring. Glad to have more. This is good juice!
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My third vintage of this wine; 1995, 2006 and 2007. This turned out to be in line with the 2006 and 2007 in the sense that this is far from being a fruitbomb. At the same time this vintage lacks the elegance of the 2006 and the 2007. This is also quite tannic. The 95 will probably never be exceptional, but with a 3-4 hour decant this could maybe add a point or so.
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Tremendous wine! Distinguished and full of finesse. Resolving tannines, bright red and black fruit, lively acidity, some licorice, bay leaf and pencil shavings. I'd say this is drinking perfectly right now, but I also have to admit that I've tasted better examples in the past. Then again....., had a couple of lousy ones, as well...
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Lovely wine just starting to hit its ideal drinking window. No sediment to speak of. It needed a full hour decant. Beautiful layers of black, blue and red fruits. Some leather, cedar, dried herbs and sweet Oak. Very smooth. Approaching silky. This could get even better over the next several years.
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Should have got it in the decanter sooner because it kept getting better in the glass. Deep garnet with a hint of amber at the edges. A nose that started strong but faded away to practically nothing. Strawberries, cooking spices, and leather in the mouth. Might not sound like it tasted good . . . but it did!! A pleasant and lingering finish. Legs like you wouldn't believe.
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Consistent with previous tasting a few years ago, but why not bump it up a point? Exactly what I like, and could actually sit for several more years. This is fantastic, with a 1st growth nose, sweet cherries, dusty but delicious tannins, layers of goodness. Hard not to love this one.
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Very soft and elegant with tamed tannins and good balance. Not as much personality as I had hoped for but a solid Bordeaux experience. We did not decant it but it did have considerable time in the bottle.
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The wine has significantly evolved over the last year (as with a lot of 1995s) and is now starting to drink well. The 1995s in general are always going to be rather old fashioned, almost austere wines, and while this does not have the elegance of the 1996 and 1998, it is still a great drink. The nose is bold full of blackcurrent and plum, and is well balanced with sharp tannins on the palate. It has depth and complexity, and a good long balanced finish. There is still scope for the wine to evolve and for the tannins to further resolve, but its basic style is going to stay the same. However, a good wine, but needing a good few hours in the decanter at this stage.
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Firm, strict style of wine, the tannic spice is still there. Medium bodied and austere in nature, the aromatics are the best part of wine, but the hardness in the personality took away from its charming nature. If this old school styled, tannic wine is your thing, you'll probably like it more than I did.
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Blind 1995 Bordeaux at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Served blind in flights of 1995 Bordeaux. In comparison to the 95 Caymus SS, this was a much more demure, and dusty wine, which actually had me thinking St. Julien, but I hedged and simply concluded that this was left bank. This was also clearly a lot less ripe and oaky, so I had in mind one of the more classic producers. I suppose at the end of the day, this bottle showed exactly as one would stereotype the appellation and estate.
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Deep red with no lightening at the rim. Upon popping the cork, the 1995 Ducru gives off aromas of leather, pipe tobacco, smoke, black cherries, exotic spices and violets. The spellbinding nose gives way to a medium- to full-bodied wine loaded with dark fruits, earth and minerals. Finishes long, with gradually building tannins that linger on the palate. This is in the early stages of maturity, and is certainly approachable now, especially with several hours' aeration. All in all, a fabulous Bordeaux that is still on the upswing. 95.
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This was the star wine of our rack of lamb dinner with friends last night, topping 06 DP, 95 LLC and 02 Leo P. Opened but not decanted an hour before dinner. A fine if not exuberant nose of red and black fruit plus a little tobacco. Beautiful balance, just a touch of pleasing sweetness on the wonderful finish. I'd say that this still has upside, and will last a long time.BZ fav.
Saturday Lunch with Friends and Wine (Happ Inn - Northfield IL): Small glass, brief note. Dense black fruit with tobacco and liqueur hints. Structure comes across as more elegant, integrated and harmonious vs the last couple of times tasted in the past few years.
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Bought a Durand vintage cork removal, eager to try on an old bottle. Not that difficult to use, cork came out intact. Last bottle was about 18 months, not really a lot of development over the period. Clean and floral nose but not intense. Sweet and smooth on the attack, some tannins still unresolved, long finish. Excellent balance. Not much tertiary notes yet. Good now but should be great few years later, good thing I still have another case stashed away in bond storage. This shows beautifully on the 2nd day, intense and floral with great balance. Burnt tobacco showing up on the 2nd day, so it's about to reach maturity but not there yet. Sublime, up the score, 95 pts with upside. This has to be one of the best wines of the '95 vintage. 6/12
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Decanted for almost two hrs and off to Christys with baby and molkas for holiday dinner. Very nicely balanced, still room for improvement. Took the rest of the bottle home and tasted even better 6 hrs later
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Absolutely superb. This was a great reminder of why I love wine. The depth of this wine was stunning. Firmly in its drinking window, beautifully mature now but will hold for a long time. There may even be some additional improvement as this was slightly better on day 2. Just an amazing mature Bordeaux with loads of tertiary development. Ample fruit left, but it was verging on the slightly more aged raisiny spectrum. This was less about the mature fruit and more about the elegance, finesse, texture, and sheer quality of this wine. Silky, very fine grained tannins. Long minute+ finish with a hint of sweetness. Just incredible. This is going to hold for a long, long time.
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Not as developed as the 1996 but starting to drink well. Lovely aromas of black cherry and cassis continue through on the palate with a long finish. Tannins are somewhat arresting but this will continue to improve as they even out.
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This is absolutely not for those who favor big, brash claret (as an aside, I've never understood why those people drink claret in the first place...). I had this last in late 2012 from 750 and came back to it today (in 375) to check in. The character is unchanged and it really is evolving slowly, but good lord was it beautiful if you love classic claret. Youthful, lively, and invigorating, it has plenty of currant and cedar to show at the front, developing smokey spice notes and a beautiful violet perfume with 4 hours in a decanter. Perfectly balanced on its feet; sublime. Still needs plenty of time and I think that my original estimate is proving to be quite accurate - another 5 years and this should be opening. Enjoyed this from one of Hugh Johnson's decanters that I bought at auction.
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The ‘95 Beaucaillou didn’t show as well as I’d hoped on this night, with an intense dark fruit and sweet tobacco and floral bouquet that seemed to be missed the slight rusticity that I love in these wines. On the palate, I found rich, dense textures with dark red fruits, hints of spice and fine tannin. It finished medium-long on dried fruits.
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Tour des Deux Rives, San Francisco: I've had this wine thrice before. 5 years ago it was really singing with a ton of red fruit. I had it twice last fall and it was very complex but reticent on the nose and still tight on the palate. This time the bottle was ex-chateau and it was even more closed and austere. Aside from the red fruit, I got a eucalyptus note. I'd say well stored bottles need more time to flower. It think that this wine is still in young rather than over the hill because it is still primarily fruit driven. This wine needs to make good on its promise and Wine Spectator "Wine of the Year" designation.
94+ at Gary and Judy's: 3 hour decant and 3 hour slow o. This wine had everything you want in an aged Bordeaux. Easy to drink, wonderful nose and palate, silky, elegant, rich. Unanimous wine of the night.
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Dark crimson with no signs of bricking, cassis, tobacco, vanilla, black currant, black plum, violets, grilled meats and herbaceous notes on the nose, prim and proper on the palate with loads of deep dark fruit, spice box, earth, graphite and bright acidity, finish is long and complex with classic Bordeaux characteristics of earth, graphite, plum, cherry and on and on and on
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Decanted 2.5 hours before dinner, could have benefitted from another hour. Elegant as always for DB, beautifully balanced. Probably a couple of years from its drinking plateau, though fine now with a long decant. P thought 95,96.
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Way....way... better than the last one I had in 2014. No comparison with that btl. This btl was divine. So sensually silky and resolved with head turning complexity. If I remember right Parker was in love with the '96 BDX vintage while WS loved '95 BDX vintage. I'm not a fan of either source for reviews but I might have to side with WS on liking 95 better. I think I've had more memorable 95s so far. This was one of them. Loved it! Classic BDX with a huge dollop of St Julien charm. My WOTN amongst several nice BDXs.
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Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux with Some Real Honeys (Victory 44, Mpls, MN): Very dark red purple color. 3.5hr hour decant, drank 1 glass over 60 minutes plus. Pretty similar to the last time I had this. The nose is open, with ripe black fruits, wood, cassis, balsamic. The palate shows big dark fruit, anise, blackberry, scorched earth, graphite, big, bold, cassis, and firm tannins. A bit edgy like many '95's.
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Definitely more approachable than the 1996 alongside. The rustic tannins of the this vintage. Not really singing at the moment - I wonder where this is going?
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Bonhams Pre-Sale Tasting (San Francisco): Primary deep ruby looking. Full bodied. Excellent chocolatey richness, olive and blackberry flavors, significant tannin to resolve. Excellent but still very young. Give it at least another decade.
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No score. Felt like there was not a lot there. Couldn't really detect a flaw hence no flawed rating or score. A bit disappointed as I was looking forward to this with steaks on Christmas day. Oh well have two more bottles and will give those a chance soon
Very closed at first, but became more expressive after a couple hours. Nice flavor, but never developed much on the nose and the finish was clipped. Quite tannic, but that worked well with the steak dinner, less so before the food arrived.
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Had this alongside a 1995 Chateau Ducru-Beaucalllou and a 1993 Angelus, at a Steak night. The Angelus was double decanted, the Ducru popped and poured and the Mouton was opened, but not decanted, for two hours. All three wines were poured into decanters at the restaurant. We drank the Angelus first, followed by the Ducru, and the Mouton was drunk last.
Much better than the Angelus, not as good as the Mouton. Lots of tannin, this wine probably suffered by not opening it earlier. But after a few hours it came together and was a treat to drink.
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this is a fine wine that will only get better with age. I drank a bottle a few months ago and think it is even better now, it will be awesome ten years from now.
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Decanted for four hours prior to dinner . Very dark colour with no hint of aging; black berry and olives with smokey notes; tannins still dominated after four hours but fruit opened up nicely in the next two over dinner. Gorgeous wine but needs another five years.
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Riverpark - New York, NY): Small pour, brief note. Black fruit on nose and palate with power and good intensity. I don't adore how firm this finishes, but while that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the wine, I expect it will continue to soften, while the quality of the fruit keeps this very pleasurable.
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°°° Bordeaux 1995 °°°: Clear garnet in color. Nose shows leather and red berries but did not show the typical St. Julien / Ducuru notes. Very elegant and smooth tannins. Long and elegant. The only point I did not like was the somewhat present acidity and the hard tannins. Maybe there is the potential for a great wine in a few years.
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Clearly a quality wine, but on this night, it felt tight and closed. It wasn't giving up too much on the nose or the palate. You really needed to concentrate on this wine to realize that it will be something special. This is undoubtedly a special wine, and I firmly believe that it will show greatly with time. This is definitely a classic wine that is a long ager. I probably don't want to try another for 2-3 years. Big upside.
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PnP. Good bottle, aromatic and clean just lack bit of intensity on the nose. Sweet and smooth on the attack. Vibrant acidity but not excessive. Firm mid-palate with plenty of tannins around. multi-layered and long finish with touch of warmth at backend. Some tertiary notes but still mainly primary. More open than previous bottle about 7 months ago. Good and approachable now but I would rather wait for another few years, this is going to be a long distance runner, will likely to last another 15 to 20 years. 93-95 pts (A)
Perfect nose - complex array of gravel, leather, cigar, earth, red and black fruit, Luden's cherry cough drops, with a tad spice. Well integrated, nicely matured wine. Excellent mid palate, tad thin in finish, but overall, lovely stuff. Some might wait even longer on this one, but right where I like them. A top notch bordeaux wine.
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Italians, Bordeaux and a few more with friends (An upscale Italian Restaurant in Cleveland): Stunning wine. Could the 95's finally be reaching a maturity at 20 years? This bottle did. Awesome nose. Cassis, black raspberries, leather, tobacco and dust on the complex nose. Showing more youthful on the palate. Layers of cassis and earth and dried leaves. Great balance. Wonderful texture. Having just recently had all the 95 First growths but Lafite, this was in that company, perhaps just a bit lagging. This was opened and allowed to breath for an hour or two. A bit more air wouldn't hurt, but it was easily my WOTN.
This has hardly changed in 5 years! Immediately open with it's reassuring St. Julian nose of cherry fruit, leather and damp forest. All in such perfect harmony. Really flavoursome and gummy in the mouth and so vibrant and fresh. Just delicious and fresh drinking. Important to serve this cool or at the proper cellar temperature of 16-17C. It really enhances the flavoursome and you don't get any volatility that results from serving at room temperature of 24C. Sat in a cool water bath and was just perfect drinking right now. Bravo Bruno!
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Slightly different note than bottle from last year though similar overall impression. This had a really impressive core of sweet dark red cherry fruit. Really beautiful and pure fruit. While there's no rush this was drinking really well.
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Dark red core with bricking; fairly translucent and light in appearance. Perfectly mature with well integrated tannins and a nose of nice floral aromas and cassis. Unfortunately the wine left me disappointed with too much sweet cassis on the palate, which was too overpowering for me, and not quite reaching the heights that I had hoped for from one of my favourite bordeaux producers. I left a few glasses in the bottle overnight, and whilst it had not deteriorated, the cassis was still too sweet.
Whilst it should be better, I found the '86, '98, '99 and '01 all much better wines from Ducru Beaucaillou.
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Although a well proportioned wine I have never appreciated this as much as the critics and have often been disappointed by its performance. The '95 was clearly outperformed by the '96 tonight, and surprisingly could not quite stand up to the squab breast with red wine risotto and wild mushrooms. The nose had the typical Ducru dark fruit and light spice but was most notably marked by mint and menthol aromas which persisted for quite some time. While a velvety palate on the front end, with notes of licorice, it ended short and tight. I may be in the minority but I do not see a great future in store for this wine.
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A classic St. Julien wine drinking very well right now. Needed minimal air. Inviting nose of black currant, black cherry, mushroom, truffle, and fennel. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Overall excellent balance. Medium-plus finish. This wine is clearly in its drinking window and will remain there for a long time.
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Very nice! Very pure with lovely red and black fruit flavors. Decanted and found some solids that were discarded. Drank over a two hour period without much change in either the nose or the taste.
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The colour was nicely garnet red, and swirling suggested an unctuous texture. The nose had hints of pure lime-juice and not much else. Was this backward? Tasting suggested the same, and there was lime juice on the palate too, with coconut and sour tangerines. There was tannin galore still, and a chicory undertone that suggested quite a long time to go; that tannin whammed its way through the finish, which lasted probably about 35 seconds. Overall this was good, a sort of savoury wine perhaps, but it needs another 3 years+ after which the score should go up.
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Not sure whether it is provenance but this bottle was pristine and surprisingly very delightful. Decanted and aerated for an hour then drank over two. Conversely to my expectations, the nose was dominated by ripe red fruits, currants, cassis, raspberries, a slight hint of sweet tobacco. Deep ruby red color, some evolution evidenced in tawny rim. On the palate, very delicate entry, ripe red fruits dominating the mid palate, medium acidity and lower than the previous bottle, good structure, this wine to me was ready to drink. Medium bodied, the wine finishes with a slight candied fruit note, albeit not a long finish but with very fine tannins, almost fully resolved. So much about the struggle between fruit and tannins, this bottle renewed my fondness of the 95 left bank vintage. Latour 95 to be tasted soon!
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Slight hint of wood on the nose. Still unresolved tannins, plenty of acidity. The wine is in close down stage again but should have long life ahead. (B+)
This wine never got to place where I was in awe of it. I think the material is there but it comes off; oaky, primary and disjointed for my liking, right now. At almost age 20 this seems to need considerable more time or a long 4hr plus decant. This was decanted but I think, for a couple hours. Like R&R says 6 plus might, make a diff.
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A Tour Through France Tuesday at Tilia (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red purple color. Two hour decant, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes plus. The nose is brooding, black fruits, oak, cassis, balsamic, raspberry. The palate is more inviting with blackberry, scorched earth, graphite, big, bold, cassis, and firm tannins. This is still young and like many '95's can have some rougher edges. This could stand some cellar time or a very long decant, say 6 hours or so and maybe that might just tame it. 92(+)pts.
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wow. had this side by side with a 95 pichon lalande. what a contrast. this is bright, red sweet fruit, lighter in body, well integrated, soft tannins and characteristic Bordeaux acidity with a pretty finish. a bit more merlot like to me compared to the Pichon Lalande. both great wines, just very very different.
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beast of a wine right now, big structured full of tannic grip but underneath it all you can feel the palate really looking to release. Has very nice potential to go the distance.
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Superb. Drinking better than ever. Purple color drifting to crimson, a hint of age on the rim, awesome aromatics of dark fruits, leather, eucalyptus (surprising). The wine has an unusual sweetness. Medium bodied, great balance, long finish. Terrific with the lamb, wish we had more.
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Chicago Wine Flock...Hezi's Late 90s Trip Around the World (Hezi's - HP,IL): Tasted double blind. Large black fruit aromas and flavors, coming across as firm and slightly backward on both nose and palate. Firm tannins reduced the pleasure this wine provided tonight, this was one of the few bottles tonight that would clearly benefit from more time in the cellar. I liked this more than most in the group tonight.
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13th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect fill, all notes better than fine - deepish garnet, not particularly developed on rim; nice bouquet, blackcurrant, bramble, secondaries of iron and graphite; med-full, long and complex, fresh ripe fruit, relatively youthful, qualitatively about the same as Las Cases 95. Fine plus (18/20).
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Now this aroma is much more appealing to me. It has a soft, subtle fragrance of prunes and treacle rather than the now rather boring smoke, oak, tobacco, cedar etc. Also I like how the tannins are softer. But it's still very oaky and cedary for me. Good anyway - a classy wine.
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An unpleasant metallic palate, nearly overpowering a strong currant and tobacco flavor with undertones of earth and mushroom. Not harsh enough to be considered defective, but definitely not my favorite.
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Deep ruby with garnet influence- mild aroma of red berries, cassis,oak, olives, mushrooms and forest floor, on the palate tightly wound fruit, lacking body complex lasting finish. I was disappointed however according to the experts it needs at least another 6 years!
Deep ruby with garnet influence- mild aroma of red berries, cassis,oak, olives, mushrooms and forest floor, on the palate tightly wound fruit, lacking body complex lasting finish. I was disappointed however according to the experts it needs at least another 6 years!
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A very fine sediment required careful decanting. Nose of leather, tobacco and cherries. Not a lot of fruit but clean and elegant. Long finish with integrated tannins. Quite a few years left,
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Outstanding wine. No real brick colour, very youthful looking. Nose is a little discrete with primary, secondary and some tertiary notes. Great balance, lots of tanins that are well rounded. Oak is very well integrated. Very long with exciting spices at the end. Great stuff !!!
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Color shows no sign of age and no sediment to speak. It took over an hour for the wine to fully open. Initially the tannins were searing but the wine was still smooth. After an hour, the tannins had lost some of their bite, but the backbone was plenty firm with the wine starting to get almost silky. Cassis, hard leather, tobacco, blueberries and blackberries, sweet Oak all beautifully layered. A 30+ second finish. This wine still has many years ahead with possible improvement still. I hope I live long enough to enjoy my larger formats of this wine at their peak.
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Confraria - Maio - Bordeaux (Marcão House): Delicate. Fantastic flower bouquets (violets). In the mouth, austere but with great balance. Evolved in the glass both for flavor as in the mouth. Above average
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Crisp, crunchy and tannic, with a masculine edge to the texture and tannins, this classic style offers a lot of freshness in the bright fruits, but is not ever going to fully soften. Lovers of more classic styles will like this more than I did.
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Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis), mineral, cedar, lead pencil and violet. The body is full. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. Tom's wine. Wine Spectator WOTY in 1997. I owned it, and believe it was at its peak at age 10. Has not lived up to its billing!
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Opened 4 bottles for a friend's retirement party a few hours before the event. All corks were perfect and there was surprisingly very little sediment. Dark purple, mild earthy nose, smooth on the palate, after taste of dark fruit. Did not seem to be strong on the alcohol side. I know this can go many more years, but wonder if it is at its peak?
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Needed a good four hour decant. Very nice nose of dark fruit, cassis, mineral and hints of violets. Very full bodied and long finish with gripping tannins. No rush here to drink.
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Lovely mature bordeaux. Popped and pour from cellar. Good fruit, well balanced with acids, super mild tannins and hints of the forest floor. No reason not to drink this all up as it won't get any better.
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Decanted and get breath for a while. There was a lot of sediment, so caution is called for when pouring. This is a classically awesome wine. This wine is getting better and better. Lots of red fruit, some smoke and earth. Wonderful finish.
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Miniinferno #1 in Umeå (Hemmavid, Umeå): Not an as inspirational delivery as I had anticipated. Very unfortunate, given this wine's reputation. Guess we got a weak one. Still has a good life ahead. Not the preferred wine by anyone at the dinner, but we finished the btl without any serious complaints. Only btl.
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Score is a last glass score. Took about two hours to really open after double decant. Needed longer. This wine is still a youngster. Deep purple in color with no noticeable bricking at all. Incredible complexity with a bright nose, stony mineral qualities, and a finish that might take you into 2015. No rush to drink this. Be patient and decant thoroughly...enjoy! Great New Years bottle with filet and grilled asparagus.
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Good but not great, still time in hand though. Nose was clean with cedar notes, ripe cassis and a whiff of leather. Smooth texture, typical St. Julien, somewhere between the femininity of Rauzan Segla which came before and the more masculine character of Lynch Bages which came after.
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Served with Grilled Lamb and Porterhouse Steaks. Also drank alongside 2004 Bond Pluribus. Decanted both wines for only 30-45 minutes and wish that they had more time in the decanter prior to dinner. Wine was deep garnet with no bricking at the edges (Bond was opaque, nearly black in color). Nose was light and inviting. Had a great smooth texture with medium concentration. I guess you could use the term elegant to describe this and it was not overpowering in any way. Still with primary red currant, black cherry, and hints of spice. Stony acidity and well integrated tannins. Oak notes are extremely subtle. Finish is very long and pleasing. Despite its 18 years it is not really showing any signs of aging. Based on this I suspect that this wine will drink well for many, many years. Wish I had more. Perhaps I will buy some more.
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Drank over lunch with friends for my 18th wedding anniversary. Medium to dark garnet bricking to the rim. Expressive nose of cedar, red cherry, leather and cassis. Medium-bodied with firm tannins, evolved fruit and balancing acidity. Long aftertaste. Excellent Bordeaux but was overshadowed by the two 1996 Pauillacs alongside which it was drank.
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This bottle shows well from get go. Good nose and balance. Full bodied with plenty of tannins around, this wine should last for a long time, better slow down in consuming the rest of the case bought during EP years ago. Good chance the wine will continue to evolve and improve for a few more years yet. 93-95 pts.
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Good nose just not as clean, hints of wood. Sweet and smooth on entry. Notes of tobacco, oak, and dark cherry. Slightly dry mid palate, despite being 18 years, still plenty of tannins but in a good way. No hint of alcohol, good acidity and balance. Full bodied with plenty of life ahead. This is a big wine. Holds up very well on 2nd day despite its age, no sign of oxidization and maintains good balance. Guess the wine will continue to evolve. Apparently Ducru 75' still drinking well even now. Will this last another 20 years? 92-94 pts.
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Decanted sixty minutes, poured back into bottle, recorked, brought to dinner, uncorked, consumed over next two hours. This has developed nicely since my last tasting three years ago when I called it "awkward and tannic." Tannin is resolving nicely, allowing fruit to come forward and knit together. Lots of good things going on. Lead pencil, tobacco, forest floor...just needs to add a little more flesh in the mid-palate. Still a very youthful tasting wine. Hopefully, it will continue to evolve in this positive direction.
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WineBerserkers SF Bordeaux Tasting (Le Charm, San Francisco): Subtle nose, needs time to open up, integrated fruit; palate is full bodied, slightly drying in midpalate, fruit is subtle, red fruit; finish is red fruit, short-medium length. Nice mature Bordeaux but lacks St. Julien character and is somewhat austere. Some mentioned that this appears to be the austere character of the 1995 vintage and may need lots of time. Perhaps, or perhaps it will never open up. 90
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opened for 2hours in the bottle. Expressive scent of black currant, cedar and leather. Fine tannin. fruity and leather on the palate. Drink with another bottle of 1986 and 1995 wins almost in every aspect.
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bright rich red with no mature signs. Classic St Julien cedar and cigar box. Still some unwinding to do but starting to flower. Lot of depth. Rich long beautifully balanced chewy fruit. Very long finish. Superb.
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Decanted 4 hours prior to drinking. Cork in great condition, fill into neck. Stunning nose of cedar, pencil shavings and black currant compote. Tannins beautifully resolved, everything in balance. Not big wine but layers of flavor and a long finish. Will keep for 10+ years so no rush but delivering the goods now.
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Light nose; austere and herbaceous with well integrated and sweet tannins; some blackberry and licorice; smooth and silky; elegant smooth sweet finish.
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Dark color with hardly any fading. Fine nose of sweet black fruits along with minerals and black spices. Just beautifully delineated on the palate with lovely flavors of black currants, black rasberries and tobacco. Perfectly balanced with a deep mid-palate that leads to a concentrated and complex finish with mineral and dark spice notes. The tannins are firm but ripe and this is just classic claret in mid-age that is ultra-smooth and gorgeous. Whatever issues this estate had in the '80's, this wine seems much cleaner and to be aging much better than some of those vintages. Should only improve from here. 94+
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Started out a lot better than it finished after 3 hours in the decanter. Dark ruby red, hints of aging at the rims, great nose of currants, cassis, earth, leather. Nice entry on the palate, found acidity slightly overshadowing the fruit, and a long finish. Medium to full bodied, decently complex and well balanced, tactile wine, but not a charmer. Drunk next to the 96 which was a lot more evolved and with much darker fruits. Will retry in a few years but my money for now is on the 96.
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Getting to the end of the case now and it has been, and continues to be, gorgeous. This type of St Julien with the cedar wood pencil case nose is one of my favourite wine types. No hint of age in the colour, blackcurrants, spices and cedar wood nose, with rich fruit matched with vanilla, dark chocolate and pepper. Very long. At its peak I think. WoFW 18/20
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Compared to 1996 vastly more youthful by 5yrs in looks. Still purple. The la croix 1995 ( is also more youthful than 1996 du cru although much less complex (£110)
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Decanted and let rest for 45 minutes. It just grows more beautiful with each sip. Very complex and beautiful with sweet red fruit notes. Powerful yet subtle.
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Alluring and lovely aromas of black cherry and spice.. The first thing that hit me was the tannic structure, but as it sat in the decanter, it began to soften allowing the fruit to emerge. While the fruit was not juicy, it retained a freshness showing black cherries, with black tea and minerality in the background. It needs food to show best, and we enjoyed it with lamb. If I owned another bottle, I would hold it for a couple of years.
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Clear purple color BLUEBERRY, cassis, oak Palate: blueberry, dark berries dark cherry , smoke wood, cassis, sweet round tannins, balanced, layers of fruits and aromas , muscular Chewy long finish great mid and back palate mature yet keep 14-16 years.
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After waiting forever for this wine to develop, I was hoping for more at this stage. Good but not great, and not nearly as good as prior bottle. No real improvement on Day 2 so I expect it is not a cradle robbery problem.
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Drank alongside the '94, this has a more polished but subdued nose of plum, cherry, and faint oak. Dark purple, no signs of bricking. Velvety and smooth, with surprisingly tame and well integrated tannins. This is drinking much better than many of the other '95 classified growths I've tried, especially given that this was a pop and pour, with about an hour of air time. Medium bodied, moderate acids and smooth tannin make for a lovely package. The lively acid spine to me suggests this will evolve further while the '94 is probably at its peak, but I do prefer the '94 today, though this is splitting hairs.
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Completely opaque robe with a thin brick disc. The nose is initially dark fruited and cedary but fairly muted, showing more on the palate. Drunk over the next 4 hours with remarkable evolution. The nose develops in breadth rather than depth, showing pure dark fruit and less cedar but more floral and mineral notes. Extremely pure; great poise. A very fine wine, but still tight.
This is at the very beginning of its drinking window - wouldn't touch another one of these for a few years. Plenty of potential here - wait another decade.
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Ruby color with intense nose of jammy blackberry and cassis, light meat smoke and turned earth and hints of tobacco. Full bodied on the palate with plum and blackberry fruits, earth and mouth coating fine tannin. Finishes long. Lots of life in this wine which should become more complex over next decade. Really good.
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A small Columbus gathering (Nick C's House): My WOTN. Served blind. Cherry, earthy nose with a slight brett funk. The palate was tight initially with cherry and earth but quickly opened and evolved into something spectacular adding coffee, more red fruit, herbs and a hint of oak. High tannins/acid but very balanced due to the intensity and depth of the flavors. Drinking well now but very young with a long life ahead of it.
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We decanted this about four hours before drinking. Left the stopper in the decanter for two hours before removing. The wine was delicious, robust, drinking beautifully with hints of raspberry. Tannins were not apparent. Group included people who know their wine and they were very positive. I am looking forward to more.
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This bottle was impeccable with great concentration and length. to my taste, the 95 surpasses the 96. Will easily last another 20 years, wish I had more in the cellar.
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Not at all what I was expecting. This wine has evolved into it's secondary phase fully. Dark fruits and chocolate dominate this with a pretty heavy dose of tobacco and cedar. We enjoyed this wine, but I expected it to be a little younger. It may still evolve further, but if you like them on them on the younger side, it may be too late.
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Opened a bit by accident ... decanted for like 2 hours which was a mistake as the wine tailed off. On open the nose was vibrant and although some decanting is needed we overdid it and the price we paid was the the nose fell of a cliff. 95 vintage is showing that it is not build to last unfortunately and no where close to the great 96. Definitely the tannins have smoothed out vs 3yrs ago when we tried it last , smooth and long with a good deal of depth but light on the complexity. Dark fruits on the nose but as said earlier the vibrant nose of start faided away. Good wine but not great . hopefully time will help the St Julien 95s to become as great as the once forgotten 85s. 91-93
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Didn't take formal notes but the wine required a good deal of air time to evolve. Jeff Leve, very grapey almost candy like with dark fruit, fig, cassis, chocolate, strong youthful tannins. At least 5 more years.
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Still deep garnet in color. Nose seems to indicate strong alcohol but not when you tasted it. The alcohol level is only 13%. Notes of cedar and cherry. Toasty oak at the end. Tannins were rather sweet for St. Julian. Still youthful but very well balance and is ready for consumption but I would prefer to put it way for another 2 to 3 years. But it is going to be difficult to keep my hands away from this beauty. 95 pts.
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Dark garnet color in the glass. A nose of fruit, very mild oak, terroir. This wine is wonderful. All that is beautiful about St. Julien. Relaxed tannins invited you to a palate of bramble berry, mild cherry, tobacco and just enough earth to remind you of its heritage. The fruit is still youthful in presentation and very much in balance. This wine is drinking beautifully now. Wonderful long finish that is balanced and mindful. Only bad thing about this wine is that it was served at a friend's, and I have none in my cellar.
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a veri disappointing bttl.tried tis bttl 3rd time.tis time doesnt impress me.the primary fruits is fading(insufficient)here.evident sign of aging but like i said,lack of primary fruits support.no pts rating.conclusion: tis cud b due to bttl variation.
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dinner @ ann colgin's home. i'm certain i've had this wine a couple of times, but pre TN recording on CT! this is fresh and elegant and well balanced tonight. no harsh edges as on some other 95s. believe this is a former WS WOTY. in a very good place. drink or hold.
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Two bottles tasted; bought on original release. Some bottle variation -- one bottle was lighter-bodied and showed an almost Hermitage-like character; the second had more of a typical St. Julien profile with deeper, plummier fruit. Both bottles were pretty tasty, and open for business, with silky textures and supple, nearly resolved tannins. The 1995 Medocs may be starting to come around? @MNWineGuy
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its a gd bttl.tannins nt harsh,no sign of over the hill.i tink stil gt room for improvement given 2-4 yrs time.it was drank in a room temperature of 17-18 degrees initially.everyting was great.structure,balance,vibrant fruits were well integrated.but later 1 of my frnd suggest to off 1 ot the air con which the temperature shoot up to 21-22 degrees.after a short while,all the components st.art to fall apar.the onli reason im typing tis here is to let the community noe tat in order to njoy a bttl of wine better,temperature of the surrounding is veri important.hererby,i wil take account on wat i hve tasted initially(17-18degrees).pts:95+
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A wonderful experience--drunk with very little aeration, with each glass vinturied--a little tight and at first, with a pronounced earthiness, but singing gloriously in an hour's time, with cassis, sweet cured tobacco, and dark chocolate mint. Just plain lovely, and definitely ready to be drunk.
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This is about as good as it gets for my palate. I am finding that my bordeaux sweet spot is 15-20 years. The bouquet was beautiful with a focus on cassis and red candy. I let it open for 45 minutes in the decanter thinking it would need more time, but it was ready to roll. Dark cherries, cassis, and forrest floor dominated the palate. The nose evolved into cedar saw dust type of think toward the end of the bottle and the wine took on a sweeter characteristic. It was a truly wonderful wine. If I had any slight critique, it would be that it did seem to fall flat in a relatively short period of time - about 2 hours.
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Black ink in colour. Powerful black raspberries, mocha, tobacco and earth on the nose. Explosive dark fruits balanced well by its sweet fruity tannins. Surprisingly good.
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Opened for 1 hour served at 62F in Riedel Sommeliers Bordeaux stems. Slightly dull opaque, deeply intense garnet color. Nose was clean with pronounced fruit, floral, sweet spice and oak. Palate was dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, full bodied with pronounced flavor characteristics. Fruit was cassis, red currant, fig and black cherry. Floral character lavender. Spices were more in the nutmeg and cinnamon. This was a very complex and enjoyable wine other notes were walnut, chocolate, black currant leaf, resinous oak- cedar and a hint of tar. Very nice and long finish. This wine was ready to drink, developed but could age. Quality is Outstanding
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Promise of the enticing sweet tar bouquet unrealized in the taste of the wine, which improved after 30 minutes in the glass. 1.5 hrs aeration probably insufficient for this bottle, as it really did appear to be on the verge of realizing its potential toward the end. Will wait a while for the next one, and aerate it a minimum of four hours.
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Has somewhat loosened over the past couple of years and is just entering what I suspect will be a long drinking window. There’s some sweet tobacco, earth and mint to the aroma. It had good vitality in the mouth and fruits are trimmed with a pleasant savoury character. There’s good grip to the finish and I like the wine’s overall freshness.
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Black cherry, tobacco, pepper, slate, earth and creme de cassis aromas paired with the full bodied, beefy, masculine, style of tannic wine produced in 1995. While the wine is coming around, it will always have a tannic side to its character. There was a touch of green and some dryness in the chewy, sharp, cassis filled finish.
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Tour de Bordeaux; Next stop: St. Julien @ my place (Netherlands): Top! Smoke, earth, caramel, lots of fruit, bayleaf, licorice, some animality. Distinguished, typical, good definition, long and concentrated. The structure has softened throughout the years and is getting silkier, though tannines still provide an adquate foundation. Loved it. 18,5/20
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Fragrant woodsy cedar nose revealing dark embers of a nicely aged Bordeaux. Ripe dark fruits that are slightly tight and tart on the palate on the first pour (I can never wait). Softens with time and continues to show great complexity with subtle minerality and hints of basil. Plenty of age left in this bottle as the structure wonderfully holds together the elegance of this wine. Wish I had more. I may get kicked out of CLONYC due to the affinity I am developing for well-aged Bordeaux.
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Taste side by side with a Barton '95 after 10 hours of decanting, although both St Julien, each exhibited different characteristic, Amazing! The nose on the Barton was more Pauillac, rustic, earthy but carries finesse, the Ducru Beaucaillou was very feminine, almost too shy to speak but extremely sexy! Crimson color with slight browning on the edges, seemingly entering into drinking window but I am convinced it is not yet ready. Soft tannins, solid body of comprising of lush blackberries, light pepper, anise. Fairly long finish. Great Bordeaux! 93 points
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Color crimson with some bricking. Nose initially closed with some herbal characteristics. Opened over 2 hrs to reveal rich blackcurrant cedar character. Palate medium body with very mellow robe of fruit and very soft balanced tannins. More evolved than last bottle 12 months ago. Delicious.
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Tout simplemnt magnifique ! Superbe robe évoluée, nez puissant de poivron et fruits rouges et noirs et quelle longueur en bouche. Tiendra encore 5 à 10 ans.
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An austere, brawny, powerful, hard style of wine with a strong tannic spine that reminds me of a typical 1986 Bordeaux. There is a lot of structure, and depth, but at 16 years of age, the future is not looking good. For those that like this old school, traditional style, they will probably find it more pleasing than I did.
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This Ducru was still very tight when we opened the bottle, and only started to really round out 2-2.5 hours after it was decanted. Has big tannins and fantastic length.
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Purchased on release and stored in 55º cellar. This has a lot of good stuff going on; Black fruits, licorice, lead pencil, some earthy mineral rusty nail notes, but it's still awkward, tannic, tight and in need of a few more years on its side.
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Opened and decanted 45 minutes before serving (at Baker and Banker, San Francisco). Tannins fully resolved, wood no longer existent, acidity tamed down, fruit almost gone. Hardly any length, but classic bordeaux nose which unfortunately was the only real enjoyable aspect of this bottle.
Maybe a mediocre bottle?
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I opened this at 4PM and it is still fairly tight at 8PM. This needs a serious decant. When I tasted it at 4PM it was showing nothing at all. Now it is finally starting to show its colors. This needs to sit in the cellar for several years or be decanted more than the 4 hours I gave it.
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The day got away from me and I was late to decant. Served at dinner and it started off a little tight (2 hours decanted). It quickly started to shine, and by hour 3 it was something special.... A garnet-black, medium in appearance. So profound on the bouquet, I just wanted to keep smelling. I picked up aromas that reminded me of black olive, candied anise, blackcurrant, plum, tea leaves, mossy forest, pipe tobacco, leather, and cedar. It greeted the palate with profoundly silky notes of black tea with blackberry, currant, and blueberry. The middle palate adds structure with mineral notes of slate and black pepper. The tannins are still very firm, but giving way to silky and lush fruit, and touches of savory oak notes that hold more graphite and lead than coffee or cocoa. Super long finish that unfolds in waves. Beautiful, and still with tons of life left. The only problem with this wine is finding a time to drink it that does it justice.
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Le Wine of the Year du WS en 1998. Aurait été décanté 20-30 minutes avant le service, bien peu selon le producteur qui recommandait de l’oxygéner davantage. Un vin en grande forme, avec un nez complexe sur les figues, le thé, la fumée et la forêt humide, complétée par une bouche sur les fruits rouges, d’une grande finesse malgré sa structure sérieuse. Encore une fois, le fruité est pur, sans camouflage ou excès. Un vin à point, et mon préféré la verticale pour sa complexité aromatique et son élégance d’ensemble.
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Quite earthy and mineral on the nose. Seems more evolved than the 1996 alongside. nice elegant palate. Some lovely evolved fruits here. I prefer to the 1996.
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This is one of those "patience will be rewarded" stories. Tried this 5 years ago or so and it showed absolutely nothing. Now, absolutely gorgeous, refined, balanced and elegant bordeaux with all of the checklist flavors and a great finish. Decanted for an hour. Could have used more time. Bravo.
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Had this on the terrace. Pulled and opened straight from the cellar. Poured into glass for 45 minutes before drinking. Wonderful deep ruby, looks bright and polished. Immediate nose of tea, leather and forest/autumn leaves/undergrowth (but in a good way). Also a nice core of cherry/blueberry fruit thereafter. Tastes of what it smells together with a love ripe balanced mouthfeel and refreshing acidity. Not heavy at all, extremely elegant and classic Bordeaux. I have never been a huge fan of Ducru (some of the vintages in the 80s and 70s were quite thin and rough) but am willing to be pursuaded if the more modern wines are like this.
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Excellent...Splash decanted. Deep garnet color, bright bouquet of daark fruit and mild tobacco. Nice weight and balance, ample fruit and light smoke on palate. This is great now and should continue to drink nicely into the foreseeable future.
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1995 Bordeaux at 15 years horizontal (Apiary, NYC): Herbal, broad, elegant, complex and complete. Has a lot going on. Lovely. What more could you want? Drinking a little young, but delicious. My WOTN. A
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Wine was smooth and polished. Coffee notes overpowered some of the tobacco and graphite, though they were there. Had a nice mix of fruit. A complex wine, but I hope to see the other components come more into play in the next bottle.
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2 hour decant. Probably not enough time. The wine got bigger and better over the next two hours. But everything was always in balance - a little short on the fruit overall. Seems like it could get better with time.
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1995-1996 Bordeaux evening (At Hugo's): took long time (over 4 hours) for the wine to open, even in a decanter, but then it a heavy, high-quality, enduring, full-bodied and lot of everything.
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Nose : blackberry, tobacco, graphite. In the mouth, the wine appear young and fresh. Aromas are pure and well defined. Fruits have good maturity but the powerful tanins are still a hard edged. It seems that the wine could evolve, but not 100% sure of the evolution of the tannins.
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6 hour decant. Nose of sweet blackberry and licorice; almost perfect balance of soft smooth blackberry laden fruit; round rich soft tannins; ends with almost perfect acidic texture; it grabs you; outstanding expression of the St Julien terrior.
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beautiful bouquet, floral nose. elegant but lacks focus to make it a great wine. paired well with french cuisine but would be overpowered by typical american restaurant food (heavy on sauce/flavors/salt)
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Bordeaux 95 vs 96 with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Side by side 95vs96 @ Handfors's Tasting with Richard Brazier. See you in 10yrs my frd. Very tannic, closed and very classic. Elegant though (especially vs the 96) but no complexity yet. let it sleep. Preferred the 96 over the 95
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Decanted for 2 hours and developed and changed dramatically over another 3 hours. The nose went from an intense smokiness to a cassis and tar bouquet. Out of the decanter, there was a ton of red fruit but it dropped off and the wine almost was austere. Another 30 minutes later, and the fruit just exploded out of the glass. Its really hard to imagine that this was the same wine from start to finish.
With another bottle in the cellar, I'm going to wait another 5-10 years on this one. I think it is going to go to a wonderful place.
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Fantastic bordeaux that is in its prime drinking phase. Good fruit and cedar on the nose. Has great red fruit with smoth tannins and a memium to long finish. Enjoy!!!
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Will this wine ever come around. No noticable tannin, but still very restrained on both the nose and palate. This is the second time I have had this wine this month and both bottles seemed consistant. Had it two weeks ago with Robert in NJ on July 3, the bottle from a totally different source. Deep dark youthful color, all the way to the rim. No jagged edges meaning good balance and structure, but little else to talk about. HOLD HOLD HOLD. I would never buy this wine today at todays price. Hopeing for the best and fearful of the worst. My score has the room for some upside and downside.
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From our cellar this is still rather closed, even with a three hour decant. Muted nose of earth and dark blue fruit. A layer of tannin that, while not at all mouth-puckering, seems to suck up the fruit in the palate. Moderate finish. Wait....
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Seductive, almost pungent barnyardy musk on the nose right out of the bottle -- this mellowed and became a lot more complex as the night wore on. A wonderful, massive wine. Gravel, tobacco, leather, and smoke. Very long finish. Chewy, slightly gritty mouthfeel. Very grippy. The tannins were a bit astringent for an hour or two, and they're still a bit too prominent now, as we finish the bottle some 4+ hours later. This was really a treat, one of the best wines I've drunk in quite a while. But I think it still hasn't reached its peak.
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Last tasted in May 2008, this bottle from the same auction source. Opened and evolved on the table, clearly improving and gaining power & aromatics as the night progressed. Youthful and vigorous, showing nice balance, perhaps more to the lean than the lush side, but no lack of fruit, grip or structure. These continue to signal they are on the ascension, with very long life. Late in the second hour a little more earthy depth emerged. Delicious. Shared with good friends who brought a beautiful 1982 Gruaud Larose which, by way of comparison, was completely integrated and very comfortably beautiful to enjoy.
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This wine is not yet giving all it has got. The nose is quite reticent, offering only a glimpse of dark fruits and minerals. In the palate it comes across softer and less full bodied than the awesome 1982 Gruaud Larose that we are drinking beside it. The tannin is not yet resolved. This is an old style Bordeaux on the elegant side that is in sharp contrast to the newer, riper, loaded Ducrus of the Bruno Borie era (which are spectacular). I frankly cannot see the ripeness and flamboyance that Parker saw in this wine early on. The wine improved all night long, which bodes well for its future.
Este vino no está dando todo lo que tiene. La nariz es bastante reticente, ofreciendo solo un vistazo de frutas negras y minerales. En boca, no tiene la concentración, corpulencia y densidad del Gruaud Larose 1982 que tomamos a su lado. Los taninos requieren más tiempo para integrarse. Este es un Burdeos de la vieja guardia que contrasta con el estilo más maduro, expresivo y concentrado que bruno Borie ha impreso a partir de la década de los 2000. Francamente no encuentro la abundancia de fruta y golosidad que Parker encontró en este vino cuando recién salió al mercado. El vino mejoró toda la noche, lo que augura un buen futuro.
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Just entering its drinking window this Bdx shows dark fruit, smoke, cedar, and sweet tobacco. Silky texture, well balanced, well structured. Perhaps a bit short on the finish but that's just nit-picking. Lovely wine with many years of positive development left. 94+
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Delicious wine in it's prime. Full, velvety character with currant and cedar overtones. slight smoky character as well, and a finish that goes on for 30+ seconds. Wish we had more!
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Dark in color, offering wonderful aromas of dark currant, fresh tobacco, charcoal, surrounded by spring flowers. Complex and full-bodied, with supersilky tannins that caress every inch of the palate. Long and satisfying. – JD97
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A nice surprise from Ducru, first taste for me. I had a taste straight after opening and it was very uptight. But it really unwound nicely after some time in the decanter. Very pure nose with minerals and some chocolate. Good balance with dark fruit and cassis, still tannic with some years to go. The finish is long and elegant.
This wine has some time to go still. I only had one bottle of this but I am definately doing something about that.
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Beautiful Bottle. Great nose of tobacco, licorice, black cherry. Dark deep red color . Great balance . lots of finesse, lots of dark fruit and a great long finnish.
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Dark, almost opaque, brick red color. Voluptuous sweet nose with leather, cedar and dark chocolate. Medium bodied, with ample fruit and solid tannins (well integrated) giving this wine a racy backbone. Classy!
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Definitely a good wine, but not as impressive as it should be. Quite compact. Possibly it needs more time. So I wait another 3 years before I open the next bottle.
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Initially it looked and smelled like a Pinot Noir. Musty, well integrated but not very sweet. Dark, dark red. Good but not great. Not sure what the WS saw here.
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Ducru Vertical (Lam Soon): Whiffs of blue flowers show on a rather expressive and big nose. Clean pure black fruits with good balance. It feels unready with lots of power raring to go but needing more time to rev up. Not getting as much as I would like but still very classic in its approach. 88+ to 90pts.
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Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical (1978, '85, '86, '95 and '96, with a few extras) (Richfield, Lam Soon Building, Singapore): This was a very good wine indeed, everything was in the right place - it just did not excite me as much as it should for some reason. Still darkly purple. Nose showed some meat, some green pepper, the littlest undertone of buttery oak and lots of dark, brooding blackberry and plum fruit. Very good. After some time, a familiar jasmine tea-ish scent appeared as well as a slightly dried-fishy tang, rather like loam or mud from a forest stream - sounds bad, but really more interesting, even enticing than unpleasant. The palate showed great balance, power and intensity, with lots more of the dark, plush fruit, yet it was still friendly and very poised, unlike the 1996, which came across rather big and loud in spite of its loads of seductive fruit and flowers. This had real structure - lovely fresh acid and the finest tannins moving into a nice round finish which, while not long, was not exactly short either. Overall, this was a solid wine that has quite a bit of room for improvement as it ages. Probably the most classic Bordelais of the vintages we tried too.
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Drank right after a '66 Latour, so a bit hard not to be distracted. Lovely, elegant wine, that seemed less ready to drink than earlier bottles I have had. A bit tight; needed a bit more time in the air. Probably should have decanted.
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Drank after 1.5 hours decant. Still a bit closed, with mineral and fruit about equal in presence. Nose was of crushed granite and cassis. Taste was medium to full bodied and smooth, with a zippy acidity and loads of cassis, crushed gravel, smooth oak, and plum. Finish was long. Very good.
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Decanted, very little sediment. Youthful red/blue pooling color. Balanced, beautiful, structured, long, with a core of dark fruit, cassis, spice and cedar. Long finish. Lasted several hours with no signs of fatigue. Long life to live!
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Drank at Morton's with a Porterhouse for a birthday dinner. Great choice. Decanted upon arrival and sampled for the next hour in a relaxing prelude to the steak birthday dinner. Half the bottle remained when the steaks arrived. The wine opened beautifully with a fruitier than expected first impression followed by a developing complexity of flavors starting with dark fruit and developing into a mineral, graphite mocha delight. The finish was memorably long. This wine is a real treat.
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Nose with quite a bit of mocha along with cassis and dark fruit. Initially on the palate was grippy and tight. Slowly this opened (after decanting and waiting) into medium density palate with nice complexity and minerality. Still found it lacking some overall depth. Finish was moderately long. Given the hype and cost this was somewhat disappointing. Maybe just needed to decant longer.
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Ducru-Beaucaillou Vertical and a Mystery Wine (Rochester, MN): Perfumed nose. Medium density with astonishing concentration of dark ripe fruits with a leading edge of sweetness. This displayed a complex core of secondary nuances- tobacco and graphite. It showed both vigor and finesse. Terrific finish, lasting 30 seconds. My wine of the night.
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New Years Eve dinner. We made filets with Joanne's famous cabernet sauce and we also opened and compared this wine with 2000 Silver Oak Napa Valley. The Silver Oak was super oaky as you would expect. I decanted both bottles for 2 hours before dinner. The SO had weak fruit in comparison. The Ducru was phenominal. Light velety tannins, soft finish.
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Stunning. Cassis, crushed stone, beautiful texture. Decanted for 2 hours and then drank over the next three. Classic Bordeaux, wih I had a case of this stuff. Luscious dark fruit. Wonderful nose with well still some tannic backbone. Layers of fruit.
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Decanted 2 hrs prior to drinking. Very smooth, a touch of tannins still left, wonderful aromas of fruit. Not overly complex and a little light. Many many good years ahead of it, and should probably wait to drink for awhile.
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Consumed at Gary Danko with 95 Canon Gafeliere...Giving nothing...opened put in a decanter set aside for 60-90min then tasted over another 90 min and after 3hrs still giving nothing...will wait at least five years to try next bottle.
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Decanted 1 hour. Wood and hint of earth on nose. Medium garnet. Fruit, wood and hints of smoke and earth on palate, but not sweet like a California cab. This gained weight with air-time, and the last sips were the most balanced and tasty. Tannins resolved, accessible now, will continue to improve and gain gravitas with time.
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A very nice Bordeaux that needed an hour to open up in a decanter. Excellent balance, and decent depth, I think it will be better in 2010. No reason to buy more.
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Dark cherry to the rim, nice nose of red & black fruits...cassis, currant....the fruit cut a big path on the palate...very solid tannic spine...outstanding lenght with mocha flavors.
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excellent depth of fruit and balance. Just a hint of tannin on the finish. Deep purple with no bricking at the edges. Can go now but will hold for a long time.
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1995 Bordeaux Tasting - Uncorked (Uncorked, London): Very tight, closed, a hint of sweet almost kirschy fruit, very solid acid and tannin structure, long balanced finish, quite big, too young by far. 13%.
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Decanted 6 hours. Had with herb roasted rack of lamb. Slightly smoky nose, medium color and weight, still tight with flavors of dried fruit and some cedar. Medium finish. This is still improving with time.
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Well-crafted and distinctively St. Julien. Round and appealing plum fruit flavors, backed by evolved notes of cedar and pencil. Still quite young at opening, it got better with an hour or two in a decanter and more and more descriptive of its terroir. A thoroughly typical and lovely wine.
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Superbowl afternoon cabernet tasting (Home in Boston): Floral nose, but not overpowering. Medium weight in color, taste of earth and wood, but still tight even after 6 hours in decanter. Dry, focused finish with some complexity (caramel?) at the end. I have always been disappointed with Ducru 95, perhaps because I expected a WS WOTY to just blow me away. In reality, this is an excellent bordeaux that is still young, even though it will never be huge.
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BLIND 1995 Bordeaux etc...: Tasted BLIND. Dark. Big. Plush, but still structured. Excellent. Will go the distance. One of the better wines of the evening.
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Cassis and currant, cedar and sage notes, underscored by medium-bodied fruit, tea, smoke, and a bit too much acid for my palate. Probably would've been better if decanted and given a chance to open up some more.
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Blair's Burgundy and Bordeaux Blowout: Bright ruby. This wine had tea, lead pencil and cassis on the nose. Full bodied with sweet tannins in the background and a nice smooth finnish. Approachable now with 4 hours in the decanter but could really benifit from a few more years in the cellar.
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Lead pencil, liquorice, meat, cough sirup and leather on the really "macho" nose. Lots of material on the palate, with the emphasis on structure. Still a lot of tannins and a noticeable acidity, but also cough sirup, kirsch, leather, tobacco and subdued fruit tones. After about four hours the fruit began to dominate palate. This leads me to believe this wine is far from ready.
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Tasted from the wine bar at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bright disc. Opaque ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, developing over two hours in the glass and showing intense chocolate, currants, vanilla, tar and earth aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with firm, somewhat astringent tannins, good acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, dry finish. There is no question that this is a superb Ducru, but it needs time in the bottle to flesh out and let the tannins soften. It certainly has the structure to allow extended aging, and will quite possibly merit a higher score in the future.
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Way too soon on this one, very backward and tight tannins but I wanted to see how it was developing. Opened up after 2 hours to reveal nice saddle leather, cedar, raspberry, and blueberry fruit. Such a different style of winemaking from the evening’s other wines. I’ll wait at least another 3 years to open another one of these.
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Red. A hint of age at the rim (!) Cigarbox and leather scents here. Also wet wood. A moderately sized body to this wine. A lot of finesse but a somewhat coarse and indifferent mouthfeel. I did like the sweet vanilla-like profile. But the fruit and stuffing just didn't seem to be there. What was there was admirably balanced. This was a pleasant and nice drink. Just not what it I had expected.
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The smell of this is very impressive: peppery, chocolatey, fruity, spicy! The midpalate seemed just a touch hollow, but I must say that this oozes class from beginning to end. The fruit is very defined, and acid, tannin and everything is in total balance. I know that this should probably be kept for another 10 years or so, but it drinks beautifully now.
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3/5/2024 - Bobbbob88 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Showing lovely dusty leather and cedar notes on the nose that are complimented by soft licorice raspberry and blackberry preserves. The wine is beautifully balanced with flavors of forest floor and mushroom then rounds out with soft truffle and blackberry. This wine has held up beautifully and is drinking very nice. (3/5/24)
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2/19/2024 - Gas Station Wine Guy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Textbook aged bordeaux.
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1/3/2024 - Sanfoan Likes this wine:
Opened the bottle and took out a glass. Let the wine breathe in the bottle for a few hours. Wine was still closed, so I decanted it. Still closed even after several hours. The cork was intact, perfect fill, and barely anything creeping up on the cork. Honestly, this cork looks brand new.
Presented as incredibly closed upon opening. Even after two hours of air and a subsequent two-hour decant, it remained relatively closed but somewhat more approachable. However, not much came through during the first few hours of drinking. Two days later, upon revisiting, the wine exhibited a remarkable transformation. On the nose, it offered enticing aromas of blackberries, graphite, blackcurrants, plums, and a touch of mint. On the palate, it showcased a velvety texture, endless length, and persistent tannins. The nose and palate included blackcurrants, blackberries, dark plums, along with subtle notes of iron, blood, mint, tobacco, and leather. Overall, it evolved from initially closed to an incredible and complex wine, just wow! I don't think I would revisit this for another few years - I would say consider cellaring for another five years.
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12/26/2023 - aultrawines wrote: 92 Points
Excellent level - from auction, slightly muted on opening, needed 1-2 hours in the decanter (and evolved over the evening) to really come together and open itself up, but nuanced and classic once in position
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12/26/2023 - VAGentleman wrote: 91 Points
2 hour decant. Tannins full at outset. Bit of must on opening but gone quickly. Tannins mellowed by one hour. At 2 hours ready, Robust dark fruit with tobacco, leather, some fern. Thins out a bit over the mouthful but elegant long finish.
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12/25/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is the same rating as the last time I had this wine a few years ago, however I suspect this could easily get to a higher score with more air. Opened and decanted for Christmas dinner about 2 hours before eating. Tasted at first opening—the nose was stunning and open full of plummy fruit, but the palate was completely closed. I would have given this at least 5 hours if I could have convinced my hangry family to eat later (I mean, wine is far more important than food, right?)
But it was almost there by the time we sat down for dinner. The nose still so expressive, now with tobacco and pencil lead to accompany the rich plummy fruit. On the palate the tobacco notes prevailed with the fruit poking through with hints of what it could be. Excellent structure and a long life ahead for my remaining bottles.
I snuck 4 oz to try on day 2 or 3 and will update if there is any change.
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11/23/2023 - Romz Likes this wine: 95 Points
23112023 - Ducru Beaucaillou dinner at Potager KL. Was totally amazed and this left me almost speechless. Amazing nose from the start. Balanced dried fruit, sexy barnyard, manly musk but yet so much elegance. A ballerina doing the tango on my palate. Wow!!
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11/5/2023 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
This took a bit of air to open up, but it proved to be in a nice drinking window. Silky, melt-in-your-mouth tannins, cedar, dark fruits and leather. Beautifully balanced.
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9/29/2023 - jonanator wrote: 94 Points
In a great spot after a few hours in decanter. Really lovely.
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9/4/2023 - tastefuldrop Likes this wine: 98 Points
Thank you Lisa Perrotti-Brown for your excellent mentions of Indian spices, plums, figs and espresso on the nose. You are spot on. I was especially enjoying the exotic spices.
This full bodied gem of a wine is in perfect shape and should keep at peak for another decade.
Seems like I’ve enjoyed this wine even more than Lisa Perrotti-Brown, hence my 98 points.
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8/31/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
16th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect cork and level, consistently excellent and little changed since last bottle in July 21, fragrance even more enthralling than palate, touch of ash now in flavour profile, but well covered by graphite laden black fruit, and good drive and persistence, nice old style elegant Ducru on maturity plateau with balance to hold for 15+ years. F+ (18).
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8/12/2023 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Amazing how youthful this remains. Color is beautiful. Lots of structure. We pretty much popped and poured, and in hindsight, I think an hour or so decant would have improved it, as it softened over time. Lots of blue/black fruit on the nose and more there on the palate. Probably a notch below “excellent” (less of the soft fruit I associate with other top St Juliens) but despite being 28 years old, I think this one improves and has a long life ahead. Very much enjoyed it.
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7/16/2023 - BradE wrote:
Decanted for four hours. A touch of green on the nose and palate when opened, which dissipated. Classic, old school, and still a youngster at twenty eight years old. In the good to very good camp, with years of life ahead.
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6/17/2023 - perlasteve wrote: 89 Points
Disappointing. Would not open up, even with 2 hour decant. Just flat without any real personality. Stored well underground cellar for ten years. Auction bought. Bottle looked good. Great recent reviews.
Either too late or too early. Tend to think too early. Hints of things, like balance and hidden tanins. I feel that if could have waited two days, it would be revealing itself. At restaurant, should have recorked and taken home. Carry backup wine.
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6/13/2023 - jjh49 wrote:
Plenty of time left in this bottle. I'm going to hold my last bottles a few ore years.
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6/5/2023 - pavese Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent wine, tertiary dominated, animal, savory, spice, farmyard a bit. The fruit is surprisingly fresh given the age. Finish a bit lacking, though.
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5/26/2023 - MasterWis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine is at peak and might start to decline so Drink Now.
Beautiful tertiary aromas and nose, palate is harmonious, lots is happening, slightly less intense on the finish (open 1h ahead and poor would be my reco, no need to long decanting, will lose some sharpness on the end).
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5/4/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, best bottle yet of this wine that has now reached its plateau of maturity. It possesses a gorgeous silky texture with layers of black fruit and good freshness. The finish is just so good with complex notes of graphite minerals and Asian spices. I love where this wine is right now from well-stored bottles. Double-decanted 5 hours.
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3/24/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cloudy crimson with the barest hint of browning at the edges under the light. Eucalyptus and menthol at the beginning nose, which is rare in my experience, with milk chocolate undertones. The bouquet is absolutely delightful. Notes of fungi, black loam, sweet mushy red fruits, and tons of aged nuance. Delightful.
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2/24/2023 - egoya Likes this wine: 93 Points
Was a little bit worried that this wine might be on the decline. Not this bottle. Relatively slim, old-style elegant wine, but overall less spectacular than I expected.
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2/24/2023 - hargy Likes this wine: 93 Points
certainly mature, this is surprisingly lightweight but that may be just a stage and it may well "fill" again as it develops - lovely wine and quite distinctly a Ducru-Beaucaillou, it is complex and really quite long, and may well improve
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2/17/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brilliant medium ruby with zero sign of color degradation. The nose opens with tar, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, and a hint of mint, all more reflective of an aged Shiraz than an aged Bordeaux. Delicious with the tingling typical of eucalyptus but just a hint of the taste and mixed berries.
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2/10/2023 - Rgentile wrote: 92 Points
This wine is still showing some dark fruits along some cedar and pencil notes but lacked acidity. I think this is on the decline.
JohnLi's note is spot on, drink up.
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2/8/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
I have trying this annually for the last 5 years tracking its evolvement, and have enjoyed it at every stage of its development. It has really hit its stride in the last 12 months, and with a structure that means it should be drinking for the next half century. The taste profile is as per previous notes with red berry fruits, but lingering notes of rose are now apparent lending a real delicacy to the palate. The tannin is sweetening, but will always keep that bite particularly on the finish. 1995 always seems to be one of the divisive vintages, and admittedly it is old school, but I am a great fan. A lengthy decant still really helps at this stage and the wine kept on developing in the glass throughout the evening.
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1/29/2023 - Twowinechicks Likes this wine: 88 Points
The cork broke as we tried to open the bottle, yet it was still clear, dark ruby red, and redolent of eucalyptus, medium-bodied. Very smooth and dry, with a somewhat puckery finish. Quite possible that we waited too long!
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12/29/2022 - billcow wrote: 89 Points
Dull and inoffensive. Could be in a phase but may be starting to fade. Little tertiary character from a good vintage. 2 hour decant
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12/25/2022 - JohnLI Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep ruby colour. Cherry and red berries with forrest floor. The tannins are soft and integrated. Much enjoyed by everyone having Christmas lunch. I think this wine has peaked and best drunk soon. Altogether a very good wine but for me, not to keep much longer
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12/7/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light blackberry; coarse; crunch; light finish.
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12/2/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Wine evening (Restaurant Krietsch, Schwäbisch Gmünd): Popped and poured. Clear, deep garnet with fine sediment. Fine red fruit, high acidity, some weird bitter notes. Probably a suboptimal bottle. Ok, but nothing special.
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11/19/2022 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (typically 40 to 80% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Deep, rather opaque and relatively youthful blackish-red color. The nose feels vibrant, complex and quite youthful with bold, rather fruit-driven aromas of ripe dark fruits, some leathery funk, a little bit of wizened dark berries, light juicy cassis tones, a hint of pipe tobacco, a touch of plummy red fruit and a whiff of inky character. The wine feels dense and quite sinewy yet still surprisingly airy on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and intense, quite youthful flavors of fresh blackcurrants and slightly wizened dark fruits, some woody notes of pencil shavings, a little bit of leathery character, light notes of pipe tobacco, a hint of earth and a touch of gravelly minerality. The wine still retains its impressive sense of structure with its high acidity and still quite assertive, moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is dense, powerful and quite grippy with a long, savory aftertaste of ripe blackcurrants and some wizened red plums, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light earthy notes, a hint of old leather and a touch of tobacco.
This wine was identified as a Left-Bank Bordeaux quite immediately, but for a wine much younger than it actually was - I guess the oldest guess was 2000, but also vintages like 2010, 2008 and 2005 were suggested. I was pretty much floored to learn the wine was 1995 - especially when the bottle we tasted earlier this year seemed to be already gliding downhill. This wine was not only fully alive, but also remarkably youthful for its age, showing quite a bit of room for further development with its still rather unresolved tannins and vibrant, concentrated fruit. The wine shows great harmony between its quite intense and bold fruit and its relatively delicate body - true to the old-school style of Bordeaux, this isn't a big and weighty bruiser, but instead surprisingly light on its feet. Despite its relative lightness the wine is definitely not lacking one bit in intensity, concentration or structure. All in all, this was a fantastic example of '95 Saint-Julien that was drinking remarkably well now, but still showing a little bit of aging potential. Not affordable at 150€, but I'd argue this bottle managed to offer bang for the buck.
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11/5/2022 - wino tech wrote:
Drank on Nov 5 2022, in honor of jaja
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10/25/2022 - kevinpatrick Likes this wine:
Right Bank vs Left Bank Bordeaux Through the Decades (Charlotte, NC): Double decant 2 hours prior to dinner and recorked; slo-ox for 30 minutes before serving. Intense barnyard on the nose but somewhat shut down. Full-flavored on the palate rich dark fruits enveloping your mouth – a big and delicious wine. Still a bit tight but flavorful. While still excellent, this wine lacked the finesse we saw in the other bottles in this flight. Medium + finish.
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10/23/2022 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank after a bottle of 82 Lafite, and it held its own. It picked some nice nuances with air but I would avoid a long decant as it may fade too quickly.
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9/18/2022 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 95 Points
Another good bottle. Rustic nose with earthy notes. Elegant style with fine tannins remaining. Medium length.
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9/17/2022 - Sperls Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty cool with a lot still going on. Darker fruit but not too intense w a bit of rose and definitely tar and a good amount of cedar. Soft but the tannin is still there, short-medium finish with interesting tertiary things going on. A great experience w grilled NY strip.
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7/29/2022 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
This seemed poised to be excellent. Aromatically it screamed Saint Julien. Yet somehow, despite being very good, it lacked the wow factor, never finding the next gear. Perhaps overshadowed by a remarkably fine 00 Clos des Papes and a very impressive 05 Trimbach Frederic Emile.
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6/26/2022 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 94 Points
Father's day dinner at home. Guinea fowl.
Drinking beautifully now but with plenty of time for further evolution if not further points. My December '21 note still applies.
Up to 40yrs from vintage.
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5/28/2022 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 93 Points
Had this about 5 years ago and it was lovely after a long decant. Thought I'd let this one breath in the glass a bit to see how it did. Probably needed an even longer decant than last time as it turned out.
Anyway....day 2 it is on song. Definitely a classical style, very moreish nose but more flint and herbs than fruit. Very dry, medium body, but with a superb and well structured finish.
Very interesting to taste the 1995s and 1996s lately. The former has been seemingly written off, and having tasted a few side-by-sides lately it's easy to see why. But this Ducru is definitely an exception- this wallops the '96.
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5/13/2022 - pclin wrote: 94 Points
PnP. ABV 13%. Subtle nose with cool mints and flowers. Tannins mostly resolved, good length and complexity, finished with burnt tobacco and oaks. This has been fairly consistent at this level for quite a few years, not going anywhere for a while, should be enjoyable for many more years.
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5/10/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
My note mirrors the one from last year albeit with a point less, (normal for 25+ years old wines). For myself this only lags behind the sublime 1982 and 2003, and it just pips the 1996. There are a lot of detractors for the 1995 left bank in general, but they are starting to blossom. The Ducru is no exception and is a bit of a retro Bordeaux. Dark berry fruits, plum and tobacco dominate, but with 1995 you have to accommodate a tannic background. This wine is a favourite of mine, but one man's meat etc.
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5/8/2022 - jkoenen wrote: 91 Points
Too old/evolved on the nose. In the palate still powerful and tannic.
Odd bottle.
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5/8/2022 - Zweder wrote:
Occasional dinner group: A mixed set.. (@ Bouwkunde, Deventer): Herb and spices and some impressions of celery in the bouquet. On the palate autumn forest and mushrooms, good acidity, but with the celery, the wine is not as perfect as it should be. No score for today, but see my score of 2021/05/28.
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3/13/2022 - jpwines Likes this wine: 96 Points
Terrific wine--love the earthy mineral and fimnish
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2/14/2022 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Decanted shortly before dinner, and opened up nicely over the course of an hour. This wine is about balance, elegance and complexity. This was my last bottle of several. It will last longer, and might evolve in interesting ways, but I don’t think it will get much if any better.
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2/11/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
1989-2000 Top Bordeaux with Pizza (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Single blind 1989-2000 Bordeaux. Layered black fruit and spice. Lots here, accessible and powerful. I liked this more than most others tonight.
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2/10/2022 - Cailles wrote: 90 Points
Six Vintages of Ducru Beaucaillou: 82/85/95/06/17/18. This mini vertical beautifully showcased that Ducru Beaucaillou is certainly one of the better left bank estates to cope with climate change: it still produces mineral/earth-driven, not too ripe wines with the signature St. Julien fresh blue fruit character. While there have been great wines before (the 1985 & 1982 were on fire and the best wines of the evening), the quality is steadily improving: even though I’m not the biggest fan of the 2017/2018 vintages in Bordeaux, these were some of the very best Bdxs from this vintage I’ve had to date. Ducru remains my favorite St. Julien estate thanks to more depth and more finesse than Leoville Barton (2nd), higher approachability and consistency than Las Cases (3rd) and less ripeness and more freshness than Poyferre (4th).
TN: Medium intense nose, slightly cloudy, much less precise than the 2006/2017/2018 tasted before. Notes of minerality, spices and some dark berries. On the palate this drinks better, with nice tertiary tobacco and wet forest floor notes wrapped around a slightly shy dark fruit core. Additional notes of spices. The tannins are still quite perceptible but are quite fine and round but the younger wines are definitely more polished than this one. High acidity but not the same perfect balance and integration as in the younger and older vintages we had today. The finish has medium length. Overall, this was the weakest wine in the lineup. It doesn‘t have the concentration, complexity and especially precision of the great vintages. Another wine that confirms my impression that 1995 is (or at least was) an overrated vintage. 1996 and 1998 have clearly more to offer.
Decanting: PnP from a 100ml glass/screwcap tube sealed with argon directly from the Chateau. Over the hour I followed the wine in the glass it didn’t change much. No improvement or deterioration. No extensive decanting needed.
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1/30/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Nearly 3.5 years since my last bottling. This is still young. 5 hours in the decanter and this barely started to open. Despite that, this is a well balanced wine with a ton of grip still. This is probably 3-5 years out from its prime and should drink well for 2-3 decades.
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1/29/2022 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques (typically 40 to 80% new). 13% alcohol. Tasted blind
Moderately evolved brick-red color with a tertiary rusty hue. Very classic Bordeaux nose from the rather evolved end of the spectrum; aromas of tobacco, some oxidative notes of beef jerky and soy sauce, a little bit of smoke, light sweet notes of dried blackcurrants, a woody hint of pencil shavings and a touch of beef jerky. The overall impression is quite tertiary, but still recognizably very Bordelais in character. The wine is medium-bodied, quite intense and quite concentrated by the age with evolved, tertiary flavors of beef jerky, wizened dark berries, some gamey tones, a little bit of earth, light sweet notes of prunes and dried red fruits, a hint of tobacco and a touch of soy sauce. The overall feel is quite firm and structure-driven, thanks to the high acidity and still rather ample and grippy tannins. The lengthy finish is dry, tannic and slightly bitter with powerful and a bit tired flavors of beef jerky, some tobacco, a little bit of earth, light savory notes of old leather, a hint of wizened blackcurrants and a touch of soy sauce.
A still very firm, structured and moderately grippy Bordeaux that is structurally still quite tightly-knit, but flavor-wise already a bit tired and perhaps already sliding slightly downhill. This feels like the polar opposite of 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou, which was somewhat more youthful compared to this 1995, but showing very resolved and soft structure. This 1995, on the other hand, retained much more structure, but at the same time coming across as noticeably more evolved in character. While neither of these vintages show that much potential for any further cellaring, I'd rather drink 1995 now and keep 1996, if only one vintage would be needed now. This is still very Bordelais in all possible ways and very much recognizable for one when tasting the wine blind, but I suspect it won't be in such shape for much longer - it's high time to drink up. Seeing how tertiary the wine is, I'd say it's rather expensive at 150€.
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1/28/2022 - Val D'Orcia Likes this wine: 92 Points
We had this with lamb and it matched well. The wine still has almost full flavor and some years left, but maybe the fruit was slightly reduced from the last bottle. Nicely balanced from start to finish.
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1/18/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 91 Points
Virtual mini-vertical with Ducru-Beaucaillou CEO Bruno Eugène Borie tasting the 1982, 1985, 1995, 2006, 2017 and 2018 vintages. The stand-outs were 1982 and 2018 while 1995 and 2006 were not at the top of the game. As Bruno explained, the estate benefits from “poor” quality soil with lots of stones which is ideal for vines. They plant 1 vine per square meter (10k per ha). Ducru also pointed out the climatic advantage of being close to the shore which means a bit cooler temperatures in the summer and warmer in the winter. They’ve been aging in 100% new barrels since 2003 for a traditional 18 months. All samples were from 100ml tasting tubes and poured into the glass 10-20min before tasting.
Tasting note
According to Bruno, this was the First vintage with new equipment and renewed attention to detail and therefore already more modern in style than 1994. A smoky mineral layer, very well conserved fruit core, partly candid in nature. Also a fleshy, meaty element as well as sweet spices. Nose comes across much fresher than the palate which shows edgy tannin and a lack of structure to carry the acidity. With aeration this becomes more fruit-forward adding more spicy elements, but can‘t quite find the balance. I would slowly but surely drink up rather than cellar further.
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12/29/2021 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine. Tannin still not integrated, needs food. Maybe hold 3-5 more years. Delicious.
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12/20/2021 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose of tobacco, black currant, cigar box, dark plum, earth, menthol, leather...a little soy sauce. Velvety fruit up front but a slight hole in the mid-palate. Medium + acid with lovely, dusty tannin.
Didn’t feel that well integrated on day one but came together on day 2, showing it’s character and a little bit of magic. Thought provoking and very interesting to drink but not 100% sure this will develop into a great wine.
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12/15/2021 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two (identical) bottles decanted together for a couple of hours.
Earth, smoke, leather with grainy tannins. Core of brulé dark stoned fruits (once they emerged) balanced by somewhat capsid acidity that works in the mix. A wine that is very definitely (with breathing) enjoyable now but would seem to increasingly to have an evolutionary future beyond my initial 2030 thoughts.
Now and till 2035. 93+
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12/14/2021 - Kevnzworld wrote: 94 Points
PNP
Smooth elegant but simplistic initially. Developed personality with time, it needed a decant.
Flavors of menthol, Plum , and tobacco on the finish
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11/12/2021 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
same as last
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10/30/2021 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Nose: deep berry fruit, cassis, ginger, cedar and plum. Nice ripeness, but the secondaries are beginning to open. Palate: classic and dark with more ginger and cedar. Clearly identifiable blind as Ducru, but there was a dryness on the back palate that had me questioning the vintage.
A classic Ducru that has decades ahead, but it is beginning to give the notes you expect from a quality vintage.
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10/30/2021 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
The 1995 Ducru Beaucaillou is starting show show quite well without much coaxing, tonight offering a fresh dark berry nose accented by ginger, nutmeg, and cedar. I love its marriage of power (of which there is no lack - this is still 1995 after all) and elegance. Its best days are ahead, but it’s fun to watch these evolve.
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9/29/2021 - dcwino wrote: 92 Points
Napa and Bordeaux gathering (Clarity - Vienna, Virginia): Medium expressive nose displaying subtle red and black fruit, plum, a hint of cassis, strong green, floral cabernet dust, lead pencil, ash, leather and earth. Very good concentration, angular red fruit, bright acidity, rough mineral, coarse tannins and a long ripe red fruit driven finish with noticeable tannins and lead pencil at the end. This clearly expresses the unique vintage character, concentrated and ripe fruit yet there is also noticeable green and coarse tannins. The fruit is too green and the tannins are too coarse for my palate. This is approaching Sociando Mallet like greenness. Perhaps this will develop like the 75s.
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9/29/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is another left banker from 1995 that has blossomed into life in the last 12 months, but I still feel a few hours decanting pays dividends. It has hit its sweet spot and is a beautiful drink showing real maturity with secondary and early tertiary notes. The nose is deep and aromatic with plum, blackcurrant, tobacco, and cedar prominent and floral wafts. The previous tannic leanness is now a thing of the past and everything is integrated and balanced on the palate and finish. The latter does not quite match the rest of the experience but is still nudging 30 seconds. This still has possible upside in its evolvement, but there is no reason not to start enjoying this now.
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9/27/2021 - Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still pretty tannic and can last far longer in the cellar. This particular bottle seemed to have a little brett funk and a slight hint of greenness to it, suggesting that it may be a little under-ripe. I'm going to attribute that to bottle variation. Still a very good wine, but this bottle wasn't as good as the last bottle I had from this vintage.
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9/25/2021 - Shugs_Claret wrote: 96 Points
No decanting needed for this bottle. Dark plum and red currant on the nose with hints of floral and graphite notes. Most impressive were the thick earthy tones of forest floor, emblematic of the savory qualities of this mature wine. The palate was vibrant and long with dark fruit, cedar and coffee. Tannins are not fully resolved but close; perfect spot for my taste. Followed over 3 hours without any change. Classically made and built for the long haul. No rush but delightful now.
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8/3/2021 - WineScars wrote:
had a glass from a bottle a customer brought into the restaurant where I serve.. the first sips were like if a gong could be made out of pink flowers.. all fluttery and deep and breathy.. then the wine came apart.. started to taste tarry and off.. but the first sips were gorgeous : )
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7/30/2021 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very much on point. This is in a very good spot right now
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7/11/2021 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
15th of 24, opened 2 hours, perfect cork and level, little changed from last bottle noted in March 20, in top form very long and persistent, complex, nice acidic lift, tannins now fully integrated, balance for long haul but little upside from here. F+ (18).
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6/20/2021 - B Paul wrote:
Spicy nose with cedar and berries. The palate is silky and harmonious. Drinking really well, though there’s at least another decade of prime drinking here.
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6/18/2021 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
deep red color just starting to brick at the rim, classic profile on the nose of cedar, cassis, plums and clove, on the palate again a very traditional feel with ripe plums and cassis, aged forest and moss notes- with textured edges of dark spices and hints of vintage saddle throughout, all of this leads into a fine full peppery finish with intense forest and pine notes and aromas, of the many top 1995 Bordeaux I have revisited in the past two years this is the only one where a classically beautiful wine on the front end has led into a classic and lengthy finish to match, the balance here is superb and- for the moment- a rare thing, it gives me hope that perhaps some other 1995s will get to a better place with good finishes, but for now this is one 1995 you can revel in without worry, time in hand and perhaps a bit more development to come- but this is in a perfect place right now and drinking beatifully.
****+, ready to go with time in hand
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6/11/2021 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just a beautiful dusty, nutty, red-spice driven nose. This is a taut wine with a grippy finish but there is a wonderfully complex, gruff mineral and spice crunch on the backend that is really amazing. Very recognizable Ducru flavors of woodsy dark fruits, chopped cedar, tobacco and mid-eastern spices. Old-style Ducru will lots of layered depth. Needed 2+ hours in a decanter and plenty of life left. Deep and savory after 4 hours...
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5/28/2021 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; a celebration (@ My place): Luxurious and complex bouquet with vanilla, black olives, cassis and other black berries. Same on the palate. Complex and in fact still youthful with beautiful acidity and still some round tannin as well as pleasant bitterness. Superb and fantastic wine which can probably easily last another decade. 96+
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5/28/2021 - jjh49 wrote:
Do at least a 2 hour decant. Wine was significantly better after 2 hours
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5/12/2021 - apg23 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark fruit on the nose. Definitely some earthy smells and what comes across to me as menthol. I don’t taste the earthiness in it that I smell. Medium body, smooth in the mouth and a longer finish than I would have expected. I have had other vintages of Ducru and I have decided that I like this wine but don’t love it.
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5/9/2021 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
This is still holding up incredibly well. And has integrated even further since my last experince almost 2 years ago.
Dark fruited, earthy, grippy, medium body with moderate acidity. I think this is just starting to hit its peak and will remain in an excellent plateau for years to come.
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4/16/2021 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic mid-90's Bordeaux. Good fruit cover, quite a lot of tertiary leather behind. Medium bodied, everything in balance. Long and complex. Drink now but will continue to evolve down the classic Bordeaux path for many years.
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1/6/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is still in evolvement, but is drinking beautifully with extended time in the decanter and ideally some time in the glass. This is developing a real elegance with age as the harsh 1995 tannic profile recedes. Blackcurrant, plum, tobacco and cedar are prominent with the latter becoming more forward with each outing. The balance is perfect and the finish is deceptively lengthy and continues to creep back for nearly 60 seconds. It is is a little light mid palate, and lacking real depth on the finish, but a little more time will surely address this. As mentioned previously this has the potential to become the best pre millennial vintage from the estate since the 1982.
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1/4/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
A maderized or heat damaged bottle. 1996 alongside was proper.
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1/1/2021 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 93 Points
Mid-ruby, brick edges, not sharp; cedar, tobacco, cassis, sweet red fruit nose; mid-body; balanced; softening tannins; mid-minus intensity; good Cabernet fruit and flavor; hints of wood on the semi-short finish. Probably peaked. w/tri-tip. 17.5 UC Davis scale, 93 other scales.
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1/1/2021 - Larslatour wrote: 94 Points
Classic.
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12/27/2020 - EMTAME wrote: 93 Points
Opened and double decanted 4 hours in advance. I acquired this at auction about 15 years ago, so was unsure what to expect but hoping for the best. The cork was in excellent shape at age 25, and the wine was, as well. Undoubtedly the most complex of the four bottles and everyone’s favorite. Everything was in balance and there was a sense of elegance to the wine. Really delicious.
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12/26/2020 - ggroebli Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classique Saint Julien, très élégant, précis et fin. Sur un plateau.
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12/25/2020 - GrapeScott wrote: 92 Points
Drank alongside a ‘95 Figeac, this was the much more restrained wine. Closed upon opening, eventually blossoming to show cassis, garrigue, lead pencil and mineral aromas with ~3h of air. Medium to full bodied, tight and showing secondary notes of cigar leaf and leather, with chewy tannins. Needs more time.
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11/29/2020 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 93 Points
A wonderful bottle, just drinking so well. Delightful Bordeaux.
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11/14/2020 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had against and Chilean cab. Two very different wines. Bordeaux went more aligned with beef tenderloin with notes of ash and light cocoa. Long finish. Great vintage need more
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11/1/2020 - pittscellar wrote:
Wine was heat camaged
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10/29/2020 - paolomp Likes this wine:
This bottle did not open up the whole evening. It was still a good bottle of wine but was not able to hold up against the other wines during the evening.
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10/26/2020 - englishman's claret wrote:
Just a quick taste without much decant so I won't score it, but the depth of the fruit here is really superb and this should mature into a wonderful, precise Ducru-Beaucaillou.
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10/17/2020 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very dark
Perfect cork
Dark berries, sweet cassis, dark spice, only lightly cedary and herbaceous, fleshy but refined texture, fine furry teeth-coating tannins, bright acidity, good overall structure. Flavours have knitted together nicely.
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9/12/2020 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
January note applies. Must show restraint as pretty sure has further improvement potential!
Till 2030 (at least).
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9/11/2020 - RayOB wrote: 93 Points
Drank in London
Beautiful complex nose with a wonderful integrated palate.
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9/3/2020 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 96 Points
Love wines 25 years plus!!!
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9/3/2020 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very tasty and fared well in a stiff compare with other 95's (HB, Angelus, LB). Earthy and natural.
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7/31/2020 - GA Old World Guy wrote: 90 Points
Good wine but not the WOTY. It was thin and a little lean. Decanted for an hour and it was still a bit tart.
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7/22/2020 - NathalieKodiak Likes this wine: 95 Points
Superb and in the right spot right now. If I had more I would uncork soon. Pine/Cedar with a lovely freshness and medium tannins. Drank at home with a ribeye
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7/2/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is really moving forward, but needs extended time in the decanter, and as noted last time it really comes to life after 30 minutes in the glass. The taste profile is as per the last review, blackcurrant, plum, and tobacco with a touch of the barnyard, but cedar is starting to become prominent. It does have the tannic edge so typical of the year, but the balance with the fruit is exquisite. The palate is complex and multi layered, and the finish is pushing 60 seconds. My only criticism at this stage is that although lengthy, the finish lacks final depth. With a structure to ensure at least a couple of decades at this level, it has the potential to become the best pre millennial Ducru since the 1982, and I already just prefer it to the fabulous 1996.
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6/25/2020 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 97 Points
Faded label had me worried this bottle had been mistreated, but pouring it in the decanter reveals an astonishingly youthful, healthy ruby hue and no-doubter, room-filling aromatics heavy on the cedar and cigar-box notes. The fruit comes across more bricked and crimson-toned on the palate than that ruby color indicated, but the real shocker here is the texture, as the tannins on this have been brutish in the past, but this time it was cashmere-like in refinement almost from the starting gate.
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6/14/2020 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 94 Points
Blackberry, raspberry, barnyard, mineral, charcoal, dried green herbs. This will live another 10-15 years easily but it was not a shame at all to open this weekend with a couple hours to decant, it's expressive and a good QPR if you can get it for under $200.
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5/27/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind. I am experiencing some bottle variation here, had a bad one a few days earlier. This was by far the best bottle so far. Lovely farmyard nose, forest floor, very classic Medoc. Medium bodied with sappy finish.
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5/22/2020 - Collector1855 wrote: 89 Points
Tasted blind. This bottle was very hot in the nose and most of us guessed right bank. Ripe fruit with brown color spectrum aromas of earth and toast. Unfortunately a drying finish.
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5/17/2020 - mikita77 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I like it whan a host lets me pick a bottle from their cellar. Decided for a 95 Ducru because I tasted the 96 two years ago and loved it. Too long ago for comparing, but definitely the same breed. The 95 is down right gorgeous on the nose. Interwoven fruit, dark berries, with secondary aromas, some hints pine needle. Elegant mouthfeel, refined tannins. A noble yet very approachable wine. Bottle was empty very quickly.
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5/3/2020 - Animalmom2 Likes this wine:
Drank with seafood. Typical for older Ducru the nose was striking. There is a “fancy” smell to this Domaine that takes a while to develop but I love to uncover. Decanted for 1 hour prior. Very smooth and seems to be in the perfect window. As it aged it seemed to “thin out” but was still pleasant. I am a Ducru fan and this did not disappoint. Will probably drink most of the case over the next 5 years and leave three to see if I was wrong about ageability.
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4/23/2020 - NathalieKodiak Likes this wine: 95 Points
very nice. fig/compote, not super tannic. this beauty has years ahead and requires a long (3hr imo) decant. Drank with my favorite ladies and some red meat
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4/19/2020 - Margaux Bro wrote: 96 Points
I usually pop 90s bdx about an hour before consuming and let it slow ox in the bottle. This one was still pretty tight and warranted an hour+ decant. Very well structured, still a touch tannic, fruit is beginning to subside and making way for tertiary flavors. It really started singing when we started dining. Ducru remains one of the most consistent producers in the world.
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4/1/2020 - pclin wrote: 95 Points
Extensive Social Distancing Drink #7. Clean floral nose. Sweet and smooth on the entry. Tannins mostly resolved, ready to go. Dark berries and oyster shells with touch of cigarettes at finish. Long and complex, excellent wine. No hint of alcohol at finish, good balance. Ready for prime time but should last for another 10 to 20 years easily. This should be one of the best wines for the vintage. 森進一 is singing 襟裳岬 on YouTube, once it’s okay to travel, I am heading out to Hokkaido straight away.
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3/28/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
The 1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a glorious nose straight out of the bottle, with vibrant boysenberry, redcurrant, pencil, petrichor, and wildflowers - potent, fresh, elegant, complete. Gorgeously fresh palate with a long, elegant, mixed berry, and pencil lead finish that lasts for ages. Delightful. Followed for just over 5 hours in the decanter, this was at its most expressive during the first hour. 95-96 points today but depending on how it unfolds as this enters its plateau of maturity, the 1995 may eventually be more impressive than that.
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3/27/2020 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
14th of 24, decanted 80 minutes, perfect cork and level, seems to have put on weight and richer than remembered in last bottle in October 14, now fully mature and with lovely tertiary flavours, but still attractive energy to cassis led fruit, long, persistent and complex, no rush. F+ (18).
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3/14/2020 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great taste off with a ‘95 Ducru B and 96 Las Cases. The DB drinking better of the two, and maybe just more in its apogee. The Ducru was beautiful on the nose, raspberry and tar notes. So smooth, lots of lingering fruit. Terrific. The Las Cases’ nose “darker”, more plum and darker fruit notes. Similar palate. Also drinking well, I think I just enjoyed the Ducru slightly more. More upfront fruit. Both great 95-94 in OT?
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2/22/2020 - dpolzien Likes this wine: 92 Points
Was a bit worried as the bottle/cork showed signs of seepage, but was perfect, with classic Saint Julien notes of pencil lead and still a bit of blue fruit showing through. The mouth-drying tannins were tamed with a fantastic Flannery Beef Jorge ribeye. Don't hesitate to try now, but this clearly has a long way to go.
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1/26/2020 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another great bottle, drinking wonderfully. Lovely balance and a touch of funkiness to add another dimension.
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1/16/2020 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brûlé blackberry and wild red berries at its almost sweet core. Masses of earth, smoke and dry spice help balance this up. Charred oak. Alcohol heat still in the background adding assistance! Superb now but with future improvement potential. Breathe for at 3+ hours.
Now till 2030. 93+?+
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1/15/2020 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Last tasted nearly 2 years ago, this is now finally ready to drink, but it still needs 5+ hours in the decanter to be at its best. Blackcurrant and plum are still prominent on the nose and palate, but cedar notes are starting to be matching. The tannin is steely, but exceptionally balanced and devoid of any harshness. The finish is pushing 60 seconds, and is in perfect harmony. The wine really continues to develop in the glass, (I upped the score by a couple of points over 2 hours,) and it bodes well for the future. This could end up being the best Ducru Beaucaillou of the last 50 years, and it has a structure to stay here for half a century. 96+
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1/7/2020 - theelvoid wrote: 97 Points
After 20 yrs in my cellar i gave this a try and it was terrific. I only gave it 30” of decanting and it was redy to enjoy. The tannins were intense(which I enjoy). The black berry fruit is there but not sweet. Cedar and a tinge of menthol predominate over the fruit. I thought this was nearly perfect and still has plenty of substanve to last another decade.
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12/27/2019 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Enjoyed more than my prior bottles. I perceived more complexity and nuance. I did not decant for fear of fading quickly, I just let it breath. Polished.
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11/12/2019 - Paul D wrote:
Ian's 1995 Dinner (Noize, London): This has an attractive, if slightly light, cedary. dark-fruited nose. A touch of beefiness too perhaps. Medium bodied on the palate, which is fully resolved and pleasant enough if a touch one-dimensional. Shortish finish too. Maybe something not quite right here. NR
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11/9/2019 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Favorite of the night in a Ducru Beaucaillou vertical. Very distinct differences between them but after drinking the 2001, 2002, 1998, 1999, 1997, plus some 2008 Pol Roger, 1986 Haut Brion and a 1999 Sudiraut I was in no condition to take notes or remember the details. But all would be great wines on their own and a fantastic evening.
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11/9/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Cool nose of forest floor, pine, oak. On the lean side, elegant but could benefit from some more fruit.
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11/4/2019 - drjb Likes this wine: 94 Points
A wine that has opened from a long slumber, the 1995 was delicious tonight with a deep red colour and a classic nose of blackcurrant, cedar and touches of bitter chocolate, burning embers and blackberry leaf. The palate is mid-weight yet the fruit remains bright and even luscious with that savoury cedar balance leading into a very fine and long tannic finish. Classic St Julien with lovely persistence of fruit characters that are clearer than in bottles opened during that long slumber that followed the initial attention grabbing character of this wine.
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10/10/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Acker Merrall & Condit Bordeaux vs. California Tasting (Michelangelo Hotel): This had to be an off bottle because it completely lacked the soul & stuffing that I have experienced before with this vintage of Ducru. Tasted blind next to the '94 Montelena Estate
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9/1/2019 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 89 Points
Delightful aged Bordeaux and holding up well.
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8/6/2019 - Richard P Howden Likes this wine: 89 Points
Perhaps not the best bottle. Showed some nice fruit and earth on the nose but the palate was equal parts cherry and vegetal/herbaceous notes. Medium- length.
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7/24/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Super Seconds and the Like (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark red/purple color. Double decanted for 3.5hrs. Drank a glass over an hour. From a run of ’55, ’70, ’89. And ’95 Ducru. This is another dense, full bodied wine. This comes off really young despite all the air. Sometimes you just can’t shake it lose. Dark fruit, gravel, tart black fruits, cassis, blackberry, gritty tannins. Good potential – maybe in 10 years with a check in around 5 or so.
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7/24/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
This another btl at the Capital Grill BDX dinner that got overshadowed by its table mattes. On its own may have impressed more than in the context of the wines opened that night.
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6/26/2019 - DaleW wrote:
Young but nice development, cassis and dark berry with smoked meat, earth, and cigarbox. Powerful but not overpowering. Delicious. A-
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6/24/2019 - acyso wrote: 85 Points
Champagne, Riesling, and Bordeaux with Skippy (Chicago, IL): A bit of a dull showing today -- this was just a pile of tannin with very little fruit. A little earthiness, but overall clamped down hard. I'll go with the customary "too young" excuse, but I couldn't find the fruit that will enable this to age into something great. I just hope the structure can round out a bit.
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5/10/2019 - Vinophiliac559 wrote: 94 Points
Pnp, still very fresh nose of dark fruit, cedar, cassis. Palate was same, tannin was well integrated, great frame work here, felt much younger than anticipated, has plenty of years left, seemed to just be entering its prime drinking window with peak still a good ways out.
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5/8/2019 - ONEFIVE Likes this wine:
Garnet edge, deep red core.
Mostly black fruit on the nose, some bramble, spice, cassis, tobacco. Very pure and focused.
Medium bodied, moderate acidity and grippy tannin on the palate.
This is great now but still a bit aggressive on the palate, leading me to think this is not yet at its peak. Give it another 2-3 years to settle down a bit and enjoy for the next 10 easily.
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5/6/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
Dense, blackcurrant, cedar nose - still a bit curmudgeonly today but on the pure, deep palate there are glimpses of the intense mineral and violet perfume that one day will make the 95 so very special.
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4/29/2019 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
More approachable than a bottle last year. Maturing fruit with nice leather, cigar and bell pepper complexity. Tannins are still noticeable, but fine in texture. Seems to be entering a good zone.
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4/6/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep and rich black fruits are just turning complex. A powerful and crunchy Ducru that’s clean and fine with a superb mid-palate and great depth that leads to a concentrated finish with notes of dark cedar and exotic spices. Needed 1+ hours of air to open up. Drunk at dinner with Bruno Borie in his kitchen at the Chateau.
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2/24/2019 - pdrago wrote: 94 Points
Bob Mandeau's 60th Birthday.
A stunner. Classic Bordeaux and just hitting a bit of a stride although I think I'd wait another 3-5 years before drinking again to compare. This has everything I look for in Left Bank Bordeaux.
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1/5/2019 - jdtonic Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum.
Good Ruby/Violet to Rim.
Nice nose with flAaaa- beg pardon. She’s a bit flat.
Basically if this bottle doesn’t come around at dinner in a halfy, along with a disappointing 2007 Salon, will be my worst day in wine in 14 months.
No back up. I publish this, in part, that the haters may rejoice, though more so to :
MOs Def: let thy magnums of 2005 Ducru lie awhile..
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12/6/2018 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 94 Points
Second growth. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Mid-ruby, brick/amber edges; herbaceous, cassis, nutty, cedar, fall leaves nose; opens with air; mid-body; good fruit; mid-tannins; balanced, semi-chewy finish. 17.5-18
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12/2/2018 - Taronti wrote: flawed
Corked
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11/11/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
Coquettish; not quite showing itself fully yet but it's clear that this is a stunning Ducru Beaucaillou full of cassis, cedar, ginger, and mineral. This should probably be fully ready in about a decade. Easy choice to lay down a bunch of these now.
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11/1/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
One of the better wines from what has become a difficult vintage, due to the strong, harsh nature of the tannins, here you find a wine that is classic in nature. Firm, slightly rustic and with a touch of green in the nose and palate, this is what old-school, classic Bordeaux is all about. The wine is full-bodied and loaded with fruit, but rustic nature of the tannins intrude on what otherwise would have been a nice party.
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10/19/2018 - dchain Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ruby. Totally ready for the first pour. Cherry, soil, bonfire, touch of liquorice and leather. Oozes St Julian terroir. Ripe fruit but with a touch of savoury meaty edge. Some Burgundian nail polish finish (in a good way). Really interesting. Medium bodied, citrus, uplifting finish. Perhaps finishes slightly sour perhaps indicating it is totally at its peak. Delicious and thought provoking at the same time. Enjoy!!
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9/18/2018 - dlduchon Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great aged Bordeaux. Holding up well but at a good drinking point.
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9/15/2018 - arthurogus Likes this wine: 97 Points
A fabulous bottle, with that typical Ducru velvet mouth feel and lingering ever-changing finish. Beautiful balance between fruit and tannin, with deep and complex flavors. The aroma was very pleasant but not very strong. It is the taste that conquers. Drunk with my attempt at Michel Guérard's roast chicken breast recipe, an excellent match.
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9/9/2018 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
2 hour decant- this is highly enjoyable now with such pure fruit up front. I would recommend a 4-6 hour decant today. I saved a glass for day 2 and it certainly improved. This can certainly be enjoyed today but I agree with most that this still needs about a decade to reach its prime.
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9/8/2018 - salil wrote: 94 Points
Keith Levenberg's recent note on this intrigued me enough that I checked out a bottle now. I'm on the same page - this is a) awesome, and b) in need of YEARS. Decades, really. The aromatics take some time to build, and really emerge after a couple of hours in a decanter, but there's a lot here with graphite, cedar wood, and lower toned earthy flavours, and lots of dark fruit that's still quite primary. But it's absolutely compelling to sit and drink with a roast chicken, though the density and structure here suggest this has a long time ahead. This is a wine I need to put in my cellar.
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9/3/2018 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and filtered, then let rest for a short while before serving. It took a good while for it open up, but when it did our guests loved it. I thought it a bit tepid in its intensity and remembered a much more fruity and generous wine. I suspect our bottles are nearly over the hill.
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9/3/2018 - lvjohn wrote: flawed
CORKED!
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9/1/2018 - Mjladha wrote: flawed
Funky
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8/24/2018 - mr_swirl wrote: flawed
Maderised bottle. Dry cork
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8/23/2018 - redknife Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brief decant and off to Smith and Wollensky with Candy
My last bottle, big wine with plenty of fruit with years ahead but drinking very nicely now
Paired well with Cajun ribeye
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6/17/2018 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 90 Points
very good but not excellent; pretty bouquet - floral and bright red fruit; not much in terms of secondary aromas; light in the mouthful and bit short on the finish; likely past its peak
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6/16/2018 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still has many years to peak, but this is one of the great super-seconds of the '90s the same way '86 Gruaud or Rausan Segla or, dare I say, '82 Pichon-Lalande, rocked the '80s. Hugely fragrant from the pop of the cork with deep blue/black fruit, pencil fillings, asphalt, and charcoal-singed meat. Packed with the same on the palate with that pencil thing oscillating back and forth between the lead fillings and the cedar shavings, along with a muscle-bound tannic structure that would make this seem tough if the fruit wasn't so intense. This is Pauillac-like in personality, but more brutish and rugged (and, I think, more packed) than the Latour or the Pichons of the same vintage. But it is expressive enough to be worth opening now even while it has all the ingredients of being a 50-year wine.
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6/9/2018 - Nanda wrote:
Still fairly firm and structured. Good fruit weight, but not yet approachable. Perhaps better with a ribeye to soften the tannin.
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6/9/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Hezi's 65th Birthday Celebration (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Black fruit, some faint liqueur hints, finished somewhat rugged. Others liked this more than I did today.
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5/4/2018 - Ibetian wrote: 94 Points
Tasted alongside the 96 DB. Decanted about 2 hours before dinner. A regal purple color. At 23, still seemed a bit tight on the nose. Nice balance in the mouth, though a bit restrained, very fine, lingering finish.
A fine wine that could benefit from more time.
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3/28/2018 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to previous notes, the wine is still in evolvement, but moving forward at a glacial pace. The last year has seen development with a nose still full of aromas of blackcurrent and plum, but the palate has moved forward with floral notes creeping in and with background hints of violet. The tannin is still in evolvement and quite sharp but balance and depth are both apparent. Most of the left bank 1995's are moving into their drinking plateau, but this does seem the exception and probably needs at least another 2 years to come into its own. If you want to drink this now, it is very enjoyable but do decant as long as possible.
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3/26/2018 - jonanator wrote:
Pnp. This was nothing like the last bottle. Definitely could have benefitted from a few hours in decanter or more years in cellar. Decant or hold.
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3/16/2018 - mdobro Likes this wine: 97 Points
this wine is complete, full complexity and so well balanced, nose dark fruits and chocolate, mouth full of smooth chocolate and tobacco, tannins are reduced to be perfect, I just simply love it
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3/9/2018 - kkazaks Likes this wine: 94 Points
Well I tried the 96 DB recently so why not a 95 DB? Comments will reflect some comparisons.
Deep purple going to orange at the rim, darker than the 1996.
On the nose, deeper and richer than the 1996 and wonderfully complex: chocolate, coffee, tea, smoke, Gilman's nutskins, and lingering behind that all dried cranberries and other dried red fruits.
On the palate more leathery in quality than the 1995 (in a very pleasant way) with continuation of the black tea and tart red fruit notes.
More harmonious overall than the 1996 and expressing itself in deeper ways, with a richness and resonance not present in the younger wine.
94
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2/10/2018 - Mjladha Likes this wine: 89 Points
Austere and tannic. Brooding.
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1/17/2018 - CabIPA Likes this wine: 95 Points
A beautiful bottle of wine. 30 min to hour decant has this juice singing. You won’t be disappointed if you drink this now. However, no rush as there are many years ahead for this star.
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1/10/2018 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic ++! Drank with a friend after a splash decant.
Fully mature dark ruby with minimal sediment.
Nose of black raspberry dark fruits and a hint of spice
Plenty of stuffing for another decade+ of terrific drinking
If a date, this was a local soccer mom MILF you love to take on dates for her gracious charm and effervescent beauty.
Crowd pleaser
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12/27/2017 - ctc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still surprisingly young and still red around the edges, not brown at all. Well rounded tannins, very pretty nose of red fruit and some tobacco.
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12/26/2017 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 95 Points
I have tried this a few times over the last decade and often found it to be obstinately backward, showing only few glimpses of what lies ahead. Recently I released three from storage. Dark fruits, tobacco and secondary development, with an alluring cool fruited languid palate. It has residual tannins but has lost its previous austerity. Very classy, delightful, lush, yet understated palate. Fine finish. This is evolving into a magnificent wine. Virtue of a good Ducru is on the mid-palate. It has has a fair amount of power and density but it is delivered so seamlessly. With a wine like this you can understand why some regarded it as the Lafite of St-Julien. I took some 1986 Ducrus out at the same time, which are now drinking very well, and a wine I have always liked. But the 1995 is the better wine, better than the 1982 as well.
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12/14/2017 - waywardsailor wrote: 95 Points
Delicious. The cork crumbled. The wine is still fruity, pleasant bouquet, with exquisite finish. Great color. Classic Bordeaux
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11/25/2017 - Mjladha Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose - pencil lead, cherries, honey
Improved over time
Palate - tannic, acidic, deep sweet honey temporarily (in the middle)...”green”
Give it a few years for next one
Probably wouldn’t buy more
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11/13/2017 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Mature garnet / brick color that bleeds to dull pink at the rim. Smoky cassis fruit nose that also gives off leather notes. There is a lovely sweetness to the aroma that beckons as sip. An aristocratic wine. Approaching full maturity. There is a tobacco note that mixes well with the ripe, yet restrained palate. Medium bodied and elegant - a claret. Not a blockbuster but boy do I like it. (93)
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11/10/2017 - Bacchus&Ceres wrote: 90 Points
Bottle variation with a flabby, thin, austere marked difference from the August note. Bottle in good condition, how bizarre> purple shiny bright, nose of plum and cassis, very thin and fast tears barely forming, slightly gripping in mouth, short dry finish.
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10/17/2017 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and removed a plentiful supply of solids. Started out really big with plentiful dark cherry and earthy notes. It evolved over the evening that underwent to subtle and rich, but always with a lovely sweet fruit nose.
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10/14/2017 - Rani Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted blind alongside Las Cases and Barton, and was the best of the three. Terrific balance, notes of black fruit, pencil shavings and coffee. Wonderful.
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10/8/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Krengels compare New vs Old World (Casa Krengel - Bannockburn IL): Tasted double blind. Open 2-3 hours before serving with a double decant. Powerful, dense and very engaging without coming across as ripe. Long and expanding. Better with food. Very good+.
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9/4/2017 - ctc wrote: 94 Points
Still drinking extremely well, I would never have said this was 22 years old. Beautiful tannins.
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8/28/2017 - Bacchus&Ceres wrote: 96 Points
Rather than the traditional breakdown and analysis, we just want to say that this is an outstanding stellar wine. Deep purple spicy nose, in perfect harmony with the structure and tannic armature of firmness and security. Decant for 2 hours by the third hour everything is sitting in beautiful harmony. Confidently proclaim a spectacular juice--- a true thoroughbred.
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8/26/2017 - Jeffrey Silver Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful wine decanted for 90min. It's sure needs it. Nose is very expressive flower, lead pencil with raspberry. The Taste has a load of minerals and carmel flowing with boysenberry. This wine is still tannic and can be enjoyed today but benifit form another 7-12yrs of cellaring. Glad to have more. This is good juice!
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8/19/2017 - Tavastgatan wrote: 92 Points
Yeh, this is very elegant and light in style. Hardly any maturity, still some tannins. Not a Bob-wine dut he actually gave it 94p.
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8/18/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 91 Points
My third vintage of this wine; 1995, 2006 and 2007.
This turned out to be in line with the 2006 and 2007 in the sense that this is far from being a fruitbomb. At the same time this vintage lacks the elegance of the 2006 and the 2007. This is also quite tannic.
The 95 will probably never be exceptional, but with a 3-4 hour decant this could maybe add a point or so.
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8/5/2017 - jkoenen wrote: 94 Points
Tremendous wine!
Distinguished and full of finesse. Resolving tannines, bright red and black fruit, lively acidity, some licorice, bay leaf and pencil shavings.
I'd say this is drinking perfectly right now, but I also have to admit that I've tasted better examples in the past. Then again....., had a couple of lousy ones, as well...
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8/5/2017 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine just starting to hit its ideal drinking window. No sediment to speak of. It needed a full hour decant. Beautiful layers of black, blue and red fruits. Some leather, cedar, dried herbs and sweet Oak. Very smooth. Approaching silky. This could get even better over the next several years.
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8/5/2017 - slapsht007 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Should have got it in the decanter sooner because it kept getting better in the glass. Deep garnet with a hint of amber at the edges. A nose that started strong but faded away to practically nothing. Strawberries, cooking spices, and leather in the mouth. Might not sound like it tasted good . . . but it did!! A pleasant and lingering finish. Legs like you wouldn't believe.
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7/26/2017 - SonnyChiba wrote: 96 Points
Consistent with previous tasting a few years ago, but why not bump it up a point? Exactly what I like, and could actually sit for several more years. This is fantastic, with a 1st growth nose, sweet cherries, dusty but delicious tannins, layers of goodness. Hard not to love this one.
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7/25/2017 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Love this wine. Right in its drinking window.
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7/16/2017 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very soft and elegant with tamed tannins and good balance. Not as much personality as I had hoped for but a solid Bordeaux experience.
We did not decant it but it did have considerable time in the bottle.
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7/6/2017 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wine has significantly evolved over the last year (as with a lot of 1995s) and is now starting to drink well. The 1995s in general are always going to be rather old fashioned, almost austere wines, and while this does not have the elegance of the 1996 and 1998, it is still a great drink. The nose is bold full of blackcurrent and plum, and is well balanced with sharp tannins on the palate. It has depth and complexity, and a good long balanced finish. There is still scope for the wine to evolve and for the tannins to further resolve, but its basic style is going to stay the same. However, a good wine, but needing a good few hours in the decanter at this stage.
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5/28/2017 - D1Harris1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely red currant, oak spice, leather and dried tobacco. Well built, good acid and a focused finish. Still lots of time left.
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5/5/2017 - pclin wrote: 94 Points
Similar to previous bottle few months ago. Good now but will improve.
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5/1/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Firm, strict style of wine, the tannic spice is still there. Medium bodied and austere in nature, the aromatics are the best part of wine, but the hardness in the personality took away from its charming nature. If this old school styled, tannic wine is your thing, you'll probably like it more than I did.
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4/26/2017 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Blind 1995 Bordeaux at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): Served blind in flights of 1995 Bordeaux. In comparison to the 95 Caymus SS, this was a much more demure, and dusty wine, which actually had me thinking St. Julien, but I hedged and simply concluded that this was left bank. This was also clearly a lot less ripe and oaky, so I had in mind one of the more classic producers. I suppose at the end of the day, this bottle showed exactly as one would stereotype the appellation and estate.
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3/13/2017 - J o e wrote: 95 Points
Deep red with no lightening at the rim. Upon popping the cork, the 1995 Ducru gives off aromas of leather, pipe tobacco, smoke, black cherries, exotic spices and violets. The spellbinding nose gives way to a medium- to full-bodied wine loaded with dark fruits, earth and minerals. Finishes long, with gradually building tannins that linger on the palate. This is in the early stages of maturity, and is certainly approachable now, especially with several hours' aeration. All in all, a fabulous Bordeaux that is still on the upswing. 95.
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3/5/2017 - Ibetian wrote: 95 Points
This was the star wine of our rack of lamb dinner with friends last night, topping 06 DP, 95 LLC and 02 Leo P. Opened but not decanted an hour before dinner. A fine if not exuberant nose of red and black fruit plus a little tobacco. Beautiful balance, just a touch of pleasing sweetness on the wonderful finish. I'd say that this still has upside, and will last a long time.BZ fav.
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2/12/2017 - MrBrege wrote: flawed
My one bottle of this.... such a shame
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1/7/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Saturday Lunch with Friends and Wine (Happ Inn - Northfield IL): Small glass, brief note. Dense black fruit with tobacco and liqueur hints. Structure comes across as more elegant, integrated and harmonious vs the last couple of times tasted in the past few years.
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1/7/2017 - pclin wrote: 95 Points
Bought a Durand vintage cork removal, eager to try on an old bottle. Not that difficult to use, cork came out intact. Last bottle was about 18 months, not really a lot of development over the period. Clean and floral nose but not intense. Sweet and smooth on the attack, some tannins still unresolved, long finish. Excellent balance. Not much tertiary notes yet. Good now but should be great few years later, good thing I still have another case stashed away in bond storage. This shows beautifully on the 2nd day, intense and floral with great balance. Burnt tobacco showing up on the 2nd day, so it's about to reach maturity but not there yet. Sublime, up the score, 95 pts with upside. This has to be one of the best wines of the '95 vintage. 6/12
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12/25/2016 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 94 Points
I loved the nose; sophisticated, delicate fruit and depth, fruity with a slight finish shortage on the palate, but broken tannins.
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12/24/2016 - winecat9 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showed very young tonight. Decanted 30 minutes. Deep color with complex bouquet. Rich flavors. Long life ahead (for the other bottles!!)
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12/22/2016 - redknife Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for almost two hrs and off to Christys with baby and molkas for holiday dinner. Very nicely balanced, still room for improvement. Took the rest of the bottle home and tasted even better 6 hrs later
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12/17/2016 - gscubba wrote: 92 Points
Absolutely delicious. Really opened nicely and great with a rack of lamb. Medium body, not too much fruit, just solid.
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11/22/2016 - michael47 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfectly mature elegant claret. Polished and clean, dark cassis and plums fruit, smoke, bit of leather.
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10/16/2016 - Loekkeboe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great classic bordeaux. Big and elegante at the same time. Only just starting to be mature.
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8/9/2016 - jonanator wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely superb. This was a great reminder of why I love wine. The depth of this wine was stunning. Firmly in its drinking window, beautifully mature now but will hold for a long time. There may even be some additional improvement as this was slightly better on day 2. Just an amazing mature Bordeaux with loads of tertiary development. Ample fruit left, but it was verging on the slightly more aged raisiny spectrum. This was less about the mature fruit and more about the elegance, finesse, texture, and sheer quality of this wine. Silky, very fine grained tannins. Long minute+ finish with a hint of sweetness. Just incredible. This is going to hold for a long, long time.
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8/6/2016 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still loving this wine! Similar comments to the previous post, but with a fresher, more lingering after taste in the mouth.
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6/18/2016 - djhammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not as developed as the 1996 but starting to drink well. Lovely aromas of black cherry and cassis continue through on the palate with a long finish. Tannins are somewhat arresting but this will continue to improve as they even out.
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5/15/2016 - englishman's claret wrote: 97 Points
This is absolutely not for those who favor big, brash claret (as an aside, I've never understood why those people drink claret in the first place...). I had this last in late 2012 from 750 and came back to it today (in 375) to check in. The character is unchanged and it really is evolving slowly, but good lord was it beautiful if you love classic claret. Youthful, lively, and invigorating, it has plenty of currant and cedar to show at the front, developing smokey spice notes and a beautiful violet perfume with 4 hours in a decanter. Perfectly balanced on its feet; sublime. Still needs plenty of time and I think that my original estimate is proving to be quite accurate - another 5 years and this should be opening. Enjoyed this from one of Hugh Johnson's decanters that I bought at auction.
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5/1/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 92 Points
The ‘95 Beaucaillou didn’t show as well as I’d hoped on this night, with an intense dark fruit and sweet tobacco and floral bouquet that seemed to be missed the slight rusticity that I love in these wines. On the palate, I found rich, dense textures with dark red fruits, hints of spice and fine tannin. It finished medium-long on dried fruits.
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4/25/2016 - Bordeaux_Jon wrote: 90 Points
Tour des Deux Rives, San Francisco: I've had this wine thrice before. 5 years ago it was really singing with a ton of red fruit. I had it twice last fall and it was very complex but reticent on the nose and still tight on the palate. This time the bottle was ex-chateau and it was even more closed and austere. Aside from the red fruit, I got a eucalyptus note. I'd say well stored bottles need more time to flower. It think that this wine is still in young rather than over the hill because it is still primarily fruit driven. This wine needs to make good on its promise and Wine Spectator "Wine of the Year" designation.
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4/24/2016 - galewskj wrote: 95 Points
94+ at Gary and Judy's: 3 hour decant and 3 hour slow o. This wine had everything you want in an aged Bordeaux. Easy to drink, wonderful nose and palate, silky, elegant, rich. Unanimous wine of the night.
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4/9/2016 - duchamp Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark crimson with no signs of bricking, cassis, tobacco, vanilla, black currant, black plum, violets, grilled meats and herbaceous notes on the nose, prim and proper on the palate with loads of deep dark fruit, spice box, earth, graphite and bright acidity, finish is long and complex with classic Bordeaux characteristics of earth, graphite, plum, cherry and on and on and on
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4/9/2016 - DaleW wrote:
Big, full, lush fruit with lots of, tobacco. A-/B+
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3/27/2016 - Ibetian wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2.5 hours before dinner, could have benefitted from another hour. Elegant as always for DB, beautifully balanced. Probably a couple of years from its drinking plateau, though fine now with a long decant. P thought 95,96.
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3/20/2016 - chablis28 wrote: 94 Points
Way....way... better than the last one I had in 2014. No comparison with that btl. This btl was divine. So sensually silky and resolved with head turning complexity. If I remember right Parker was in love with the '96 BDX vintage while WS loved '95 BDX vintage. I'm not a fan of either source for reviews but I might have to side with WS on liking 95 better. I think I've had more memorable 95s so far. This was one of them. Loved it! Classic BDX with a huge dollop of St Julien charm. My WOTN amongst several nice BDXs.
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3/20/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Bordeaux with Some Real Honeys (Victory 44, Mpls, MN): Very dark red purple color. 3.5hr hour decant, drank 1 glass over 60 minutes plus. Pretty similar to the last time I had this. The nose is open, with ripe black fruits, wood, cassis, balsamic. The palate shows big dark fruit, anise, blackberry, scorched earth, graphite, big, bold, cassis, and firm tannins. A bit edgy like many '95's.
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3/18/2016 - VitisNovice Does not like this wine:
Frustratingly bad. Very shocking. Didnt get better with ox.
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3/18/2016 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 88 Points
Definitely more approachable than the 1996 alongside. The rustic tannins of the this vintage. Not really singing at the moment - I wonder where this is going?
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3/13/2016 - RJ Gordon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious, although we probably needed another hour of decant.
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3/10/2016 - drwine2001 wrote:
Bonhams Pre-Sale Tasting (San Francisco): Primary deep ruby looking. Full bodied. Excellent chocolatey richness, olive and blackberry flavors, significant tannin to resolve. Excellent but still very young. Give it at least another decade.
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1/30/2016 - BarryPaulPrice Likes this wine: 92 Points
Favorite moment was after it was open 45 minutes and black tea flavor notes began to show alongside soft red fruit.
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12/26/2015 - Griffeyfan04 wrote:
No score. Felt like there was not a lot there. Couldn't really detect a flaw hence no flawed rating or score. A bit disappointed as I was looking forward to this with steaks on Christmas day. Oh well have two more bottles and will give those a chance soon
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12/26/2015 - mjdixon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tight and inky.
Drank after about an hour but still showing few signs of opening up.
Wouldn't drink until at least three hours in a decanter.
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12/16/2015 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very closed at first, but became more expressive after a couple hours. Nice flavor, but never developed much on the nose and the finish was clipped. Quite tannic, but that worked well with the steak dinner, less so before the food arrived.
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12/15/2015 - SMHalps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this alongside a 1995 Chateau Ducru-Beaucalllou and a 1993 Angelus, at a Steak night. The Angelus was double decanted, the Ducru popped and poured and the Mouton was opened, but not decanted, for two hours. All three wines were poured into decanters at the restaurant. We drank the Angelus first, followed by the Ducru, and the Mouton was drunk last.
Much better than the Angelus, not as good as the Mouton. Lots of tannin, this wine probably suffered by not opening it earlier. But after a few hours it came together and was a treat to drink.
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11/22/2015 - Good Stuff Likes this wine: 92 Points
this is a fine wine that will only get better with age. I drank a bottle a few months ago and think it is even better now, it will be awesome ten years from now.
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10/3/2015 - Milos Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for four hours prior to dinner . Very dark colour with no hint of aging; black berry and olives with smokey notes; tannins still dominated after four hours but fruit opened up nicely in the next two over dinner. Gorgeous wine but needs another five years.
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9/10/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Wine Tasted at Acker Auction (Riverpark - New York, NY): Small pour, brief note. Black fruit on nose and palate with power and good intensity. I don't adore how firm this finishes, but while that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the wine, I expect it will continue to soften, while the quality of the fruit keeps this very pleasurable.
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8/23/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 92 Points
°°° Bordeaux 1995 °°°: Clear garnet in color. Nose shows leather and red berries but did not show the typical St. Julien / Ducuru notes. Very elegant and smooth tannins. Long and elegant. The only point I did not like was the somewhat present acidity and the hard tannins. Maybe there is the potential for a great wine in a few years.
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7/12/2015 - blakehastings Likes this wine: 92 Points
Solid wine, medium bodied. still some time ahead of it, but not going to get much better. drink up
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7/11/2015 - wineappreciation wrote: 93 Points
Soft nose of blueberry, cigar, aged leather; light, airy, somewhat ethereal; long, enveloping, multi-plateaued, smooth finish
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7/5/2015 - jonanator wrote: 92 Points
Clearly a quality wine, but on this night, it felt tight and closed. It wasn't giving up too much on the nose or the palate. You really needed to concentrate on this wine to realize that it will be something special. This is undoubtedly a special wine, and I firmly believe that it will show greatly with time. This is definitely a classic wine that is a long ager. I probably don't want to try another for 2-3 years. Big upside.
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7/3/2015 - pclin wrote: 94 Points
PnP. Good bottle, aromatic and clean just lack bit of intensity on the nose. Sweet and smooth on the attack. Vibrant acidity but not excessive. Firm mid-palate with plenty of tannins around. multi-layered and long finish with touch of warmth at backend. Some tertiary notes but still mainly primary. More open than previous bottle about 7 months ago. Good and approachable now but I would rather wait for another few years, this is going to be a long distance runner, will likely to last another 15 to 20 years. 93-95 pts (A)
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6/26/2015 - SonnyChiba wrote: 95 Points
Perfect nose - complex array of gravel, leather, cigar, earth, red and black fruit, Luden's cherry cough drops, with a tad spice. Well integrated, nicely matured wine. Excellent mid palate, tad thin in finish, but overall, lovely stuff. Some might wait even longer on this one, but right where I like them. A top notch bordeaux wine.
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6/26/2015 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy wrote: 95 Points
Blew my mind.
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5/10/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
Italians, Bordeaux and a few more with friends (An upscale Italian Restaurant in Cleveland): Stunning wine. Could the 95's finally be reaching a maturity at 20 years? This bottle did. Awesome nose. Cassis, black raspberries, leather, tobacco and dust on the complex nose. Showing more youthful on the palate. Layers of cassis and earth and dried leaves. Great balance. Wonderful texture. Having just recently had all the 95 First growths but Lafite, this was in that company, perhaps just a bit lagging. This was opened and allowed to breath for an hour or two. A bit more air wouldn't hurt, but it was easily my WOTN.
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5/10/2015 - dchain Likes this wine: 95 Points
This has hardly changed in 5 years! Immediately open with it's reassuring St. Julian nose of cherry fruit, leather and damp forest. All in such perfect harmony. Really flavoursome and gummy in the mouth and so vibrant and fresh. Just delicious and fresh drinking. Important to serve this cool or at the proper cellar temperature of 16-17C. It really enhances the flavoursome and you don't get any volatility that results from serving at room temperature of 24C. Sat in a cool water bath and was just perfect drinking right now. Bravo Bruno!
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5/2/2015 - bill00 wrote: 94 Points
Slightly different note than bottle from last year though similar overall impression. This had a really impressive core of sweet dark red cherry fruit. Really beautiful and pure fruit. While there's no rush this was drinking really well.
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5/1/2015 - Good Stuff Likes this wine: 92 Points
very good bordeaux, still many years in it, wonderful soft fruit, very balanced but still young
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4/16/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and let rest for 2 hours. Very elegant mouth feel with wonderful red fruits. Rather short, but pleasant after taste.
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3/25/2015 - _water.into.wine_ wrote: 88 Points
Dark red core with bricking; fairly translucent and light in appearance.
Perfectly mature with well integrated tannins and a nose of nice floral aromas and cassis. Unfortunately the wine left me disappointed with too much sweet cassis on the palate, which was too overpowering for me, and not quite reaching the heights that I had hoped for from one of my favourite bordeaux producers. I left a few glasses in the bottle overnight, and whilst it had not deteriorated, the cassis was still too sweet.
Whilst it should be better, I found the '86, '98, '99 and '01 all much better wines from Ducru Beaucaillou.
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2/19/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
Although a well proportioned wine I have never appreciated this as much as the critics and have often been disappointed by its performance. The '95 was clearly outperformed by the '96 tonight, and surprisingly could not quite stand up to the squab breast with red wine risotto and wild mushrooms. The nose had the typical Ducru dark fruit and light spice but was most notably marked by mint and menthol aromas which persisted for quite some time. While a velvety palate on the front end, with notes of licorice, it ended short and tight. I may be in the minority but I do not see a great future in store for this wine.
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2/15/2015 - tedgetsmart wrote:
good---not sensational----gets better in VAIL
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2/15/2015 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
A classic St. Julien wine drinking very well right now. Needed minimal air. Inviting nose of black currant, black cherry, mushroom, truffle, and fennel. Full-bodied with silky tannins. Overall excellent balance. Medium-plus finish. This wine is clearly in its drinking window and will remain there for a long time.
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2/12/2015 - Vincollegiet wrote:
Really good, needs air though. Has quite a lot more to give, good acidity and quite firm tannins. Give it another 3-5 yrs to peak.
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1/17/2015 - neil wrote: flawed
corked
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1/17/2015 - cos82 wrote: flawed
Friend brought 2 .375 bottles to local byob, and both were disgustingly corked.
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1/14/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very nice! Very pure with lovely red and black fruit flavors. Decanted and found some solids that were discarded. Drank over a two hour period without much change in either the nose or the taste.
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1/11/2015 - jhtswhiteley wrote: 88 Points
The colour was nicely garnet red, and swirling suggested an unctuous texture. The nose had hints of pure lime-juice and not much else. Was this backward? Tasting suggested the same, and there was lime juice on the palate too, with coconut and sour tangerines. There was tannin galore still, and a chicory undertone that suggested quite a long time to go; that tannin whammed its way through the finish, which lasted probably about 35 seconds. Overall this was good, a sort of savoury wine perhaps, but it needs another 3 years+ after which the score should go up.
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12/29/2014 - the player Likes this wine: 93 Points
Not sure whether it is provenance but this bottle was pristine and surprisingly very delightful. Decanted and aerated for an hour then drank over two. Conversely to my expectations, the nose was dominated by ripe red fruits, currants, cassis, raspberries, a slight hint of sweet tobacco. Deep ruby red color, some evolution evidenced in tawny rim. On the palate, very delicate entry, ripe red fruits dominating the mid palate, medium acidity and lower than the previous bottle, good structure, this wine to me was ready to drink. Medium bodied, the wine finishes with a slight candied fruit note, albeit not a long finish but with very fine tannins, almost fully resolved. So much about the struggle between fruit and tannins, this bottle renewed my fondness of the 95 left bank vintage. Latour 95 to be tasted soon!
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12/24/2014 - pclin wrote: 92 Points
Slight hint of wood on the nose. Still unresolved tannins, plenty of acidity. The wine is in close down stage again but should have long life ahead. (B+)
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12/23/2014 - chablis28 wrote: 89 Points
This wine never got to place where I was in awe of it. I think the material is there but it comes off; oaky, primary and disjointed for my liking, right now. At almost age 20 this seems to need considerable more time or a long 4hr plus decant. This was decanted but I think, for a couple hours. Like R&R says 6 plus might, make a diff.
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12/23/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
A Tour Through France Tuesday at Tilia (Tilia, Mpls): Very dark red purple color. Two hour decant, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes plus. The nose is brooding, black fruits, oak, cassis, balsamic, raspberry. The palate is more inviting with blackberry, scorched earth, graphite, big, bold, cassis, and firm tannins. This is still young and like many '95's can have some rougher edges. This could stand some cellar time or a very long decant, say 6 hours or so and maybe that might just tame it. 92(+)pts.
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12/21/2014 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
wow. had this side by side with a 95 pichon lalande. what a contrast. this is bright, red sweet fruit, lighter in body, well integrated, soft tannins and characteristic Bordeaux acidity with a pretty finish. a bit more merlot like to me compared to the Pichon Lalande. both great wines, just very very different.
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12/1/2014 - paulst Likes this wine: 89 Points
Still evolving and tannic; abrupt blackberry with some astringency; a bit out of balance; time will help I hope.
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11/20/2014 - clayfu wrote:
beast of a wine right now, big structured full of tannic grip but underneath it all you can feel the palate really looking to release. Has very nice potential to go the distance.
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11/15/2014 - surfcityusa Likes this wine: 94 Points
Superb. Drinking better than ever. Purple color drifting to crimson, a hint of age on the rim, awesome aromatics of dark fruits, leather, eucalyptus (surprising). The wine has an unusual sweetness. Medium bodied, great balance, long finish. Terrific with the lamb, wish we had more.
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11/6/2014 - Didman wrote: 94 Points
Very soft and lovely drinking right now. No reason to wait further with this gem.
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10/28/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 91 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Hezi's Late 90s Trip Around the World (Hezi's - HP,IL): Tasted double blind. Large black fruit aromas and flavors, coming across as firm and slightly backward on both nose and palate. Firm tannins reduced the pleasure this wine provided tonight, this was one of the few bottles tonight that would clearly benefit from more time in the cellar. I liked this more than most in the group tonight.
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10/24/2014 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
13th of 24, decanted an hour, perfect fill, all notes better than fine - deepish garnet, not particularly developed on rim; nice bouquet, blackcurrant, bramble, secondaries of iron and graphite; med-full, long and complex, fresh ripe fruit, relatively youthful, qualitatively about the same as Las Cases 95. Fine plus (18/20).
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10/15/2014 - ricard Likes this wine: 92 Points
Now this aroma is much more appealing to me. It has a soft, subtle fragrance of prunes and treacle rather than the now rather boring smoke, oak, tobacco, cedar etc. Also I like how the tannins are softer. But it's still very oaky and cedary for me. Good anyway - a classy wine.
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9/21/2014 - Nygard wrote:
An unpleasant metallic palate, nearly overpowering a strong currant and tobacco flavor with undertones of earth and mushroom. Not harsh enough to be considered defective, but definitely not my favorite.
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9/7/2014 - hodsonwine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep ruby with garnet influence- mild aroma of red berries, cassis,oak, olives,
mushrooms and forest floor, on the palate tightly wound fruit, lacking body complex lasting finish.
I was disappointed however according to the experts it needs at least another 6 years!
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9/7/2014 - hodsonwine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby with garnet influence- mild aroma of red berries, cassis,oak, olives,
mushrooms and forest floor, on the palate tightly wound fruit, lacking body complex lasting finish.
I was disappointed however according to the experts it needs at least another 6 years!
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8/26/2014 - Taronti Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very fine sediment required careful decanting. Nose of leather, tobacco and cherries. Not a lot of fruit but clean and elegant. Long finish with integrated tannins. Quite a few years left,
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6/16/2014 - mduque Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding wine. No real brick colour, very youthful looking. Nose is a little discrete with primary, secondary and some tertiary notes. Great balance, lots of tanins that are well rounded. Oak is very well integrated. Very long with exciting spices at the end. Great stuff !!!
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6/7/2014 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color shows no sign of age and no sediment to speak. It took over an hour for the wine to fully open. Initially the tannins were searing but the wine was still smooth. After an hour, the tannins had lost some of their bite, but the backbone was plenty firm with the wine starting to get almost silky. Cassis, hard leather, tobacco, blueberries and blackberries, sweet Oak all beautifully layered. A 30+ second finish. This wine still has many years ahead with possible improvement still. I hope I live long enough to enjoy my larger formats of this wine at their peak.
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5/22/2014 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 95 Points
Confraria - Maio - Bordeaux (Marcão House): Delicate. Fantastic flower bouquets (violets). In the mouth, austere but with great balance. Evolved in the glass both for flavor as in the mouth. Above average
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5/19/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Crisp, crunchy and tannic, with a masculine edge to the texture and tannins, this classic style offers a lot of freshness in the bright fruits, but is not ever going to fully soften. Lovers of more classic styles will like this more than I did.
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5/6/2014 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. It smells like blackberry, black currant (cassis), mineral, cedar, lead pencil and violet. The body is full. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. Tom's wine. Wine Spectator WOTY in 1997. I owned it, and believe it was at its peak at age 10. Has not lived up to its billing!
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4/27/2014 - dannagle Likes this wine: 97 Points
Opened 4 bottles for a friend's retirement party a few hours before the event. All corks were perfect and there was surprisingly very little sediment. Dark purple, mild earthy nose, smooth on the palate, after taste of dark fruit. Did not seem to be strong on the alcohol side. I know this can go many more years, but wonder if it is at its peak?
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4/26/2014 - CabIsKing wrote: 94 Points
Needed a good four hour decant. Very nice nose of dark fruit, cassis, mineral and hints of violets. Very full bodied and long finish with gripping tannins. No rush here to drink.
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4/3/2014 - michael47 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely mature bordeaux. Popped and pour from cellar. Good fruit, well balanced with acids, super mild tannins and hints of the forest floor. No reason not to drink this all up as it won't get any better.
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3/22/2014 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted and get breath for a while. There was a lot of sediment, so caution is called for when pouring. This is a classically awesome wine. This wine is getting better and better. Lots of red fruit, some smoke and earth. Wonderful finish.
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3/2/2014 - StefanAkiko wrote: 91 Points
Miniinferno #1 in Umeå (Hemmavid, Umeå): Not an as inspirational delivery as I had anticipated. Very unfortunate, given this wine's reputation. Guess we got a weak one.
Still has a good life ahead.
Not the preferred wine by anyone at the dinner, but we finished the btl without any serious complaints.
Only btl.
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2/15/2014 - sphBacchus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy with still plenty of tannins . A long life still ahead for this wine .
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1/20/2014 - bill00 wrote: 93 Points
Still quite youthful. Deep, dark fruit with cedar and earth notes. Enjoyable now but this needs lots of time.
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1/1/2014 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 94 Points
Score is a last glass score. Took about two hours to really open after double decant. Needed longer. This wine is still a youngster. Deep purple in color with no noticeable bricking at all. Incredible complexity with a bright nose, stony mineral qualities, and a finish that might take you into 2015. No rush to drink this. Be patient and decant thoroughly...enjoy! Great New Years bottle with filet and grilled asparagus.
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12/31/2013 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good but not great, still time in hand though.
Nose was clean with cedar notes, ripe cassis and a whiff of leather.
Smooth texture, typical St. Julien, somewhere between the femininity of Rauzan Segla which came before and the more masculine character of Lynch Bages which came after.
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12/30/2013 - meatbomb013 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Served with Grilled Lamb and Porterhouse Steaks. Also drank alongside 2004 Bond Pluribus. Decanted both wines for only 30-45 minutes and wish that they had more time in the decanter prior to dinner.
Wine was deep garnet with no bricking at the edges (Bond was opaque, nearly black in color). Nose was light and inviting. Had a great smooth texture with medium concentration. I guess you could use the term elegant to describe this and it was not overpowering in any way. Still with primary red currant, black cherry, and hints of spice. Stony acidity and well integrated tannins. Oak notes are extremely subtle. Finish is very long and pleasing. Despite its 18 years it is not really showing any signs of aging. Based on this I suspect that this wine will drink well for many, many years. Wish I had more. Perhaps I will buy some more.
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12/29/2013 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank over lunch with friends for my 18th wedding anniversary. Medium to dark garnet bricking to the rim. Expressive nose of cedar, red cherry, leather and cassis. Medium-bodied with firm tannins, evolved fruit and balancing acidity. Long aftertaste. Excellent Bordeaux but was overshadowed by the two 1996 Pauillacs alongside which it was drank.
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12/25/2013 - pclin wrote: 94 Points
This bottle shows well from get go. Good nose and balance. Full bodied with plenty of tannins around, this wine should last for a long time, better slow down in consuming the rest of the case bought during EP years ago. Good chance the wine will continue to evolve and improve for a few more years yet. 93-95 pts.
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12/12/2013 - CellarBord wrote:
The wine did not open up as expected. Decanted more than 2 hours before dinner. Remained closed and angular tonight. Needs more age?
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12/1/2013 - pclin wrote: 93 Points
Good nose just not as clean, hints of wood. Sweet and smooth on entry. Notes of tobacco, oak, and dark cherry. Slightly dry mid palate, despite being 18 years, still plenty of tannins but in a good way. No hint of alcohol, good acidity and balance. Full bodied with plenty of life ahead. This is a big wine. Holds up very well on 2nd day despite its age, no sign of oxidization and maintains good balance. Guess the wine will continue to evolve. Apparently Ducru 75' still drinking well even now. Will this last another 20 years? 92-94 pts.
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11/13/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 93 Points
Decanted sixty minutes, poured back into bottle, recorked, brought to dinner, uncorked, consumed over next two hours. This has developed nicely since my last tasting three years ago when I called it "awkward and tannic." Tannin is resolving nicely, allowing fruit to come forward and knit together. Lots of good things going on. Lead pencil, tobacco, forest floor...just needs to add a little more flesh in the mid-palate. Still a very youthful tasting wine. Hopefully, it will continue to evolve in this positive direction.
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11/12/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
WineBerserkers SF Bordeaux Tasting (Le Charm, San Francisco): Subtle nose, needs time to open up, integrated fruit; palate is full bodied, slightly drying in midpalate, fruit is subtle, red fruit; finish is red fruit, short-medium length. Nice mature Bordeaux but lacks St. Julien character and is somewhat austere. Some mentioned that this appears to be the austere character of the 1995 vintage and may need lots of time. Perhaps, or perhaps it will never open up. 90
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10/26/2013 - onboisduvin Likes this wine: 93 Points
opened for 2hours in the bottle. Expressive scent of black currant, cedar and leather. Fine tannin. fruity and leather on the palate. Drink with another bottle of 1986 and 1995 wins almost in every aspect.
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10/14/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still quite tannic; rich blackberry; coarse texture; deep structure; lay it down.
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10/10/2013 - redders Likes this wine: 95 Points
bright rich red with no mature signs. Classic St Julien cedar and cigar box. Still some unwinding to do but starting to flower. Lot of depth. Rich long beautifully balanced chewy fruit. Very long finish. Superb.
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10/3/2013 - ob2 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours prior to drinking. Cork in great condition, fill into neck. Stunning nose of cedar, pencil shavings and black currant compote. Tannins beautifully resolved, everything in balance. Not big wine but layers of flavor and a long finish. Will keep for 10+ years so no rush but delivering the goods now.
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8/31/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light nose; austere and herbaceous with well integrated and sweet tannins; some blackberry and licorice; smooth and silky; elegant smooth sweet finish.
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8/30/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark color with hardly any fading. Fine nose of sweet black fruits along with minerals and black spices. Just beautifully delineated on the palate with lovely flavors of black currants, black rasberries and tobacco. Perfectly balanced with a deep mid-palate that leads to a concentrated and complex finish with mineral and dark spice notes. The tannins are firm but ripe and this is just classic claret in mid-age that is ultra-smooth and gorgeous. Whatever issues this estate had in the '80's, this wine seems much cleaner and to be aging much better than some of those vintages. Should only improve from here. 94+
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7/25/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Classic in style, with its firm tannic structure, cassis, smoke, tobacco and wet earth character, the wine is firm, fresh and masculine in the finish.
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7/11/2013 - the player Likes this wine: 92 Points
Started out a lot better than it finished after 3 hours in the decanter. Dark ruby red, hints of aging at the rims, great nose of currants, cassis, earth, leather. Nice entry on the palate, found acidity slightly overshadowing the fruit, and a long finish. Medium to full bodied, decently complex and well balanced, tactile wine, but not a charmer. Drunk next to the 96 which was a lot more evolved and with much darker fruits. Will retry in a few years but my money for now is on the 96.
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6/26/2013 - Zazzaman Likes this wine: 94 Points
Getting to the end of the case now and it has been, and continues to be, gorgeous. This type of St Julien with the cedar wood pencil case nose is one of my favourite wine types. No hint of age in the colour, blackcurrants, spices and cedar wood nose, with rich fruit matched with vanilla, dark chocolate and pepper. Very long. At its peak I think. WoFW 18/20
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5/16/2013 - Prioryraf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Compared to 1996 vastly more youthful by 5yrs in looks. Still purple. The la croix 1995 ( is also more youthful than 1996 du cru although much less complex (£110)
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5/5/2013 - slrankin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank this way too early. Decanted 3 hours. Still young and vibrant. Will wait a few years until the next bottle.
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5/4/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted and let rest for 45 minutes. It just grows more beautiful with each sip. Very complex and beautiful with sweet red fruit notes. Powerful yet subtle.
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4/24/2013 - Diane (LI) wrote:
Alluring and lovely aromas of black cherry and spice.. The first thing that hit me was the tannic structure, but as it sat in the decanter, it began to soften allowing the fruit to emerge. While the fruit was not juicy, it retained a freshness showing black cherries, with black tea and minerality in the background. It needs food to show best, and we enjoyed it with lamb. If I owned another bottle, I would hold it for a couple of years.
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1/28/2013 - Veritas 53 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clear purple color
BLUEBERRY, cassis, oak
Palate: blueberry, dark berries dark cherry , smoke wood, cassis, sweet round tannins, balanced, layers of fruits and aromas , muscular Chewy long finish great mid and back palate mature yet keep 14-16 years.
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1/2/2013 - alamoave Likes this wine: 90 Points
After waiting forever for this wine to develop, I was hoping for more at this stage. Good but not great, and not nearly as good as prior bottle. No real improvement on Day 2 so I expect it is not a cradle robbery problem.
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12/31/2012 - izzybb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great with a rack of lamb.
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12/26/2012 - GrapeScott wrote: 92 Points
Drank alongside the '94, this has a more polished but subdued nose of plum, cherry, and faint oak. Dark purple, no signs of bricking. Velvety and smooth, with surprisingly tame and well integrated tannins. This is drinking much better than many of the other '95 classified growths I've tried, especially given that this was a pop and pour, with about an hour of air time. Medium bodied, moderate acids and smooth tannin make for a lovely package. The lively acid spine to me suggests this will evolve further while the '94 is probably at its peak, but I do prefer the '94 today, though this is splitting hairs.
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12/17/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
Completely opaque robe with a thin brick disc. The nose is initially dark fruited and cedary but fairly muted, showing more on the palate. Drunk over the next 4 hours with remarkable evolution. The nose develops in breadth rather than depth, showing pure dark fruit and less cedar but more floral and mineral notes. Extremely pure; great poise. A very fine wine, but still tight.
This is at the very beginning of its drinking window - wouldn't touch another one of these for a few years. Plenty of potential here - wait another decade.
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12/8/2012 - Slics wrote: 93 Points
Ruby color with intense nose of jammy blackberry and cassis, light meat smoke and turned earth and hints of tobacco. Full bodied on the palate with plum and blackberry fruits, earth and mouth coating fine tannin. Finishes long. Lots of life in this wine which should become more complex over next decade. Really good.
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10/31/2012 - ldorf wrote: 91 Points
Took about an hour and a half to really open. A good representation, light on the nose, but full mouth and a nice finish.
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9/28/2012 - David_T wrote: 94 Points
A small Columbus gathering (Nick C's House): My WOTN. Served blind. Cherry, earthy nose with a slight brett funk. The palate was tight initially with cherry and earth but quickly opened and evolved into something spectacular adding coffee, more red fruit, herbs and a hint of oak. High tannins/acid but very balanced due to the intensity and depth of the flavors. Drinking well now but very young with a long life ahead of it.
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9/21/2012 - Donard wrote: 93 Points
Same as last note. Same dinner.
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9/21/2012 - Donard wrote: 93 Points
Decanted several hours beforehand. Soft tannins. Smooth. Deep color. Fruity.
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9/8/2012 - Donard wrote: 93 Points
We decanted this about four hours before drinking. Left the stopper in the decanter for two hours before removing. The wine was delicious, robust, drinking beautifully with hints of raspberry. Tannins were not apparent. Group included people who know their wine and they were very positive. I am looking forward to more.
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9/1/2012 - Ara Kafafian wrote: 95 Points
This bottle was impeccable with great concentration and length. to my taste, the 95 surpasses the 96. Will easily last another 20 years, wish I had more in the cellar.
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7/26/2012 - uberoh wrote: 92 Points
needed decanting - 3 hrs but could have used more. Good fruit and complexity - a bit of a tannic edge but very enjoyable
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7/10/2012 - sreisgolf wrote: 93 Points
Not at all what I was expecting. This wine has evolved into it's secondary phase fully. Dark fruits and chocolate dominate this with a pretty heavy dose of tobacco and cedar. We enjoyed this wine, but I expected it to be a little younger. It may still evolve further, but if you like them on them on the younger side, it may be too late.
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7/6/2012 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Opened a bit by accident ... decanted for like 2 hours which was a mistake as the wine tailed off. On open the nose was vibrant and although some decanting is needed we overdid it and the price we paid was the the nose fell of a cliff. 95 vintage is showing that it is not build to last unfortunately and no where close to the great 96. Definitely the tannins have smoothed out vs 3yrs ago when we tried it last , smooth and long with a good deal of depth but light on the complexity. Dark fruits on the nose but as said earlier the vibrant nose of start faided away. Good wine but not great . hopefully time will help the St Julien 95s to become as great as the once forgotten 85s. 91-93
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6/25/2012 - BillyT wrote: 92 Points
Didn't take formal notes but the wine required a good deal of air time to evolve. Jeff Leve, very grapey almost candy like with dark fruit, fig, cassis, chocolate, strong youthful tannins. At least 5 more years.
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6/21/2012 - pclin wrote: 95 Points
Still deep garnet in color. Nose seems to indicate strong alcohol but not when you tasted it. The alcohol level is only 13%. Notes of cedar and cherry. Toasty oak at the end. Tannins were rather sweet for St. Julian. Still youthful but very well balance and is ready for consumption but I would prefer to put it way for another 2 to 3 years. But it is going to be difficult to keep my hands away from this beauty. 95 pts.
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6/10/2012 - jetfan wrote: 90 Points
unfortunately underwhelming. Fro price point as well as reputation I expected more. More complexity and remaining fruit
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6/2/2012 - DonWinspear wrote: 94 Points
Dark garnet color in the glass. A nose of fruit, very mild oak, terroir. This wine is wonderful. All that is beautiful about St. Julien. Relaxed tannins invited you to a palate of bramble berry, mild cherry, tobacco and just enough earth to remind you of its heritage. The fruit is still youthful in presentation and very much in balance. This wine is drinking beautifully now. Wonderful long finish that is balanced and mindful. Only bad thing about this wine is that it was served at a friend's, and I have none in my cellar.
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5/30/2012 - clairenclarence wrote:
a veri disappointing bttl.tried tis bttl 3rd time.tis time doesnt impress me.the primary fruits is fading(insufficient)here.evident sign of aging but like i said,lack of primary fruits support.no pts rating.conclusion: tis cud b due to bttl variation.
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4/25/2012 - jeff nowak wrote: 94 Points
dinner @ ann colgin's home. i'm certain i've had this wine a couple of times, but pre TN recording on CT! this is fresh and elegant and well balanced tonight. no harsh edges as on some other 95s. believe this is a former WS WOTY. in a very good place. drink or hold.
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4/25/2012 - kstoddard wrote: 95 Points
"The Dinner" Featuring Six Bordeaux Luminaries (Ann Colgin's and Joe Wender's Home): Deep ruby color. Blackberry and black currant nose. Tastes of black cherry, currant, blueberry, cedar, earth, and pepper. Very well balanced. Incredibly expansive midpalate. Fine grained tannins. Elegant finish with deep complexity.
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3/6/2012 - Siggy wrote: 90 Points
Two bottles tasted; bought on original release. Some bottle variation -- one bottle was lighter-bodied and showed an almost Hermitage-like character; the second had more of a typical St. Julien profile with deeper, plummier fruit. Both bottles were pretty tasty, and open for business, with silky textures and supple, nearly resolved tannins. The 1995 Medocs may be starting to come around? @MNWineGuy
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2/15/2012 - clairenclarence wrote: 95 Points
its a gd bttl.tannins nt harsh,no sign of over the hill.i tink stil gt room for improvement given 2-4 yrs time.it was drank in a room temperature of 17-18 degrees initially.everyting was great.structure,balance,vibrant fruits were well integrated.but later 1 of my frnd suggest to off 1 ot the air con which the temperature shoot up to 21-22 degrees.after a short while,all the components st.art to fall apar.the onli reason im typing tis here is to let the community noe tat in order to njoy a bttl of wine better,temperature of the surrounding is veri important.hererby,i wil take account on wat i hve tasted initially(17-18degrees).pts:95+
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2/13/2012 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 95 Points
A wonderful experience--drunk with very little aeration, with each glass vinturied--a little tight and at first, with a pronounced earthiness, but singing gloriously in an hour's time, with cassis, sweet cured tobacco, and dark chocolate mint. Just plain lovely, and definitely ready to be drunk.
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2/13/2012 - ruchottalex wrote: 95 Points
This is really ready right now, great balance of some freshness with mellowed tannins.
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1/28/2012 - PASimon wrote: 93 Points
This is about as good as it gets for my palate. I am finding that my bordeaux sweet spot is 15-20 years. The bouquet was beautiful with a focus on cassis and red candy. I let it open for 45 minutes in the decanter thinking it would need more time, but it was ready to roll. Dark cherries, cassis, and forrest floor dominated the palate. The nose evolved into cedar saw dust type of think toward the end of the bottle and the wine took on a sweeter characteristic. It was a truly wonderful wine. If I had any slight critique, it would be that it did seem to fall flat in a relatively short period of time - about 2 hours.
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1/2/2012 - winecowboy wrote: 93 Points
Black ink in colour. Powerful black raspberries, mocha, tobacco and earth on the nose. Explosive dark fruits balanced well by its sweet fruity tannins. Surprisingly good.
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12/24/2011 - profiler54 wrote: 96 Points
Opened for 1 hour served at 62F in Riedel Sommeliers Bordeaux stems. Slightly dull opaque, deeply intense garnet color. Nose was clean with pronounced fruit, floral, sweet spice and oak. Palate was dry, medium acidity, medium tannins, full bodied with pronounced flavor characteristics. Fruit was cassis, red currant, fig and black cherry. Floral character lavender. Spices were more in the nutmeg and cinnamon. This was a very complex and enjoyable wine other notes were walnut, chocolate, black currant leaf, resinous oak- cedar and a hint of tar. Very nice and long finish. This wine was ready to drink, developed but could age. Quality is Outstanding
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12/24/2011 - isdblm@lsu.edu wrote: 91 Points
Promise of the enticing sweet tar bouquet unrealized in the taste of the wine, which improved after 30 minutes in the glass. 1.5 hrs aeration probably insufficient for this bottle, as it really did appear to be on the verge of realizing its potential toward the end. Will wait a while for the next one, and aerate it a minimum of four hours.
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12/13/2011 - Didman wrote: 93 Points
Good nose. Starting to show some signs of age in taste and color. An excellent Bordeaux to be drunk now.
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11/19/2011 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Has somewhat loosened over the past couple of years and is just entering what I suspect will be a long drinking window. There’s some sweet tobacco, earth and mint to the aroma. It had good vitality in the mouth and fruits are trimmed with a pleasant savoury character. There’s good grip to the finish and I like the wine’s overall freshness.
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11/13/2011 - uberoh wrote: 92 Points
decanted 4 hours before - good balance, decent fruit - tabacco, cedar - reasonable nose but not amazing....
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10/18/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Black cherry, tobacco, pepper, slate, earth and creme de cassis aromas paired with the full bodied, beefy, masculine, style of tannic wine produced in 1995. While the wine is coming around, it will always have a tannic side to its character. There was a touch of green and some dryness in the chewy, sharp, cassis filled finish.
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10/14/2011 - jkoenen wrote: 94 Points
Tour de Bordeaux; Next stop: St. Julien @ my place (Netherlands): Top! Smoke, earth, caramel, lots of fruit, bayleaf, licorice, some animality. Distinguished, typical, good definition, long and concentrated.
The structure has softened throughout the years and is getting silkier, though tannines still provide an adquate foundation. Loved it. 18,5/20
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9/23/2011 - kevinpatrick wrote: 94 Points
Fragrant woodsy cedar nose revealing dark embers of a nicely aged Bordeaux. Ripe dark fruits that are slightly tight and tart on the palate on the first pour (I can never wait). Softens with time and continues to show great complexity with subtle minerality and hints of basil. Plenty of age left in this bottle as the structure wonderfully holds together the elegance of this wine. Wish I had more. I may get kicked out of CLONYC due to the affinity I am developing for well-aged Bordeaux.
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9/7/2011 - LSussman wrote: 93 Points
Wondeful nose after 4 hour decant. Mouth filling complex wine wwith many years left to go.
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8/14/2011 - Leon Chan wrote: 93 Points
Taste side by side with a Barton '95 after 10 hours of decanting, although both St Julien, each exhibited different characteristic, Amazing! The nose on the Barton was more Pauillac, rustic, earthy but carries finesse, the Ducru Beaucaillou was very feminine, almost too shy to speak but extremely sexy! Crimson color with slight browning on the edges, seemingly entering into drinking window but I am convinced it is not yet ready. Soft tannins, solid body of comprising of lush blackberries, light pepper, anise. Fairly long finish. Great Bordeaux! 93 points
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8/1/2011 - PC73 wrote: 93 Points
Bright red and purple.
Nose is spiced. Sweetness. Wood.
Palate. Spices. Not obvious fruit, but fruit clearly there.
Great balance. Seems very young.
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6/20/2011 - Les Clos wrote:
Met vienden in de Librije lunch twee mooie flessen nu prachtig te drinken grote wijn 93
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6/10/2011 - drjb wrote: 94 Points
Color crimson with some bricking. Nose initially closed with some herbal characteristics. Opened over 2 hrs to reveal rich blackcurrant cedar character. Palate medium body with very mellow robe of fruit and very soft balanced tannins. More evolved than last bottle 12 months ago. Delicious.
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5/21/2011 - millesime66 wrote: 94 Points
Tout simplemnt magnifique ! Superbe robe évoluée, nez puissant de poivron et fruits rouges et noirs et quelle longueur en bouche. Tiendra encore 5 à 10 ans.
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5/21/2011 - Porchino wrote: 91 Points
STILL TIGHT AND CLOSED
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5/19/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
An austere, brawny, powerful, hard style of wine with a strong tannic spine that reminds me of a typical 1986 Bordeaux. There is a lot of structure, and depth, but at 16 years of age, the future is not looking good. For those that like this old school, traditional style, they will probably find it more pleasing than I did.
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5/2/2011 - jmanyc wrote: 93 Points
This Ducru was still very tight when we opened the bottle, and only started to really round out 2-2.5 hours after it was decanted. Has big tannins and fantastic length.
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3/26/2011 - Ibetian wrote: 92 Points
Splash decanted just before dinner. No detailed notes, but an elegant wine with years of life ahead.
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2/18/2011 - Chardinla wrote: flawed
Corked !
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2/14/2011 - rsbeck wrote: 91 Points
Purchased on release and stored in 55º cellar. This has a lot of good stuff going on; Black fruits, licorice, lead pencil, some earthy mineral rusty nail notes, but it's still awkward, tannic, tight and in need of a few more years on its side.
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12/22/2010 - Madaboutwine wrote: 86 Points
Opened and decanted 45 minutes before serving (at Baker and Banker, San Francisco). Tannins fully resolved, wood no longer existent, acidity tamed down, fruit almost gone. Hardly any length, but classic bordeaux nose which unfortunately was the only real enjoyable aspect of this bottle.
Maybe a mediocre bottle?
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12/12/2010 - paulst wrote: 92 Points
4 hr decant. Leather with barnyard; earthy texture; moderate blackberry; some astringency.
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12/5/2010 - Ricky99 wrote: 92 Points
very tasty, developed nicely in the glass after an hour of decanting.
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12/3/2010 - CerveloGuy wrote:
I opened this at 4PM and it is still fairly tight at 8PM. This needs a serious decant. When I tasted it at 4PM it was showing nothing at all. Now it is finally starting to show its colors. This needs to sit in the cellar for several years or be decanted more than the 4 hours I gave it.
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11/21/2010 - MattMauldin wrote: 96 Points
The day got away from me and I was late to decant. Served at dinner and it started off a little tight (2 hours decanted). It quickly started to shine, and by hour 3 it was something special.... A garnet-black, medium in appearance. So profound on the bouquet, I just wanted to keep smelling. I picked up aromas that reminded me of black olive, candied anise, blackcurrant, plum, tea leaves, mossy forest, pipe tobacco, leather, and cedar. It greeted the palate with profoundly silky notes of black tea with blackberry, currant, and blueberry. The middle palate adds structure with mineral notes of slate and black pepper. The tannins are still very firm, but giving way to silky and lush fruit, and touches of savory oak notes that hold more graphite and lead than coffee or cocoa. Super long finish that unfolds in waves. Beautiful, and still with tons of life left. The only problem with this wine is finding a time to drink it that does it justice.
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11/18/2010 - BigJul Likes this wine:
Le Wine of the Year du WS en 1998. Aurait été décanté 20-30 minutes avant le service, bien peu selon le producteur qui recommandait de l’oxygéner davantage. Un vin en grande forme, avec un nez complexe sur les figues, le thé, la fumée et la forêt humide, complétée par une bouche sur les fruits rouges, d’une grande finesse malgré sa structure sérieuse. Encore une fois, le fruité est pur, sans camouflage ou excès. Un vin à point, et mon préféré la verticale pour sa complexité aromatique et son élégance d’ensemble.
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11/13/2010 - RoccoSydney wrote: 94 Points
The best of the tasting by all. Sweetness, fruity. At least 2-3 more years
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10/19/2010 - vespasian wrote: 91 Points
Quite earthy and mineral on the nose. Seems more evolved than the 1996 alongside. nice elegant palate. Some lovely evolved fruits here. I prefer to the 1996.
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10/11/2010 - alamoave wrote: 94 Points
This is one of those "patience will be rewarded" stories. Tried this 5 years ago or so and it showed absolutely nothing. Now, absolutely gorgeous, refined, balanced and elegant bordeaux with all of the checklist flavors and a great finish. Decanted for an hour. Could have used more time. Bravo.
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9/24/2010 - dchain wrote: 94 Points
Had this on the terrace. Pulled and opened straight from the cellar. Poured into glass for 45 minutes before drinking. Wonderful deep ruby, looks bright and polished. Immediate nose of tea, leather and forest/autumn leaves/undergrowth (but in a good way). Also a nice core of cherry/blueberry fruit thereafter. Tastes of what it smells together with a love ripe balanced mouthfeel and refreshing acidity. Not heavy at all, extremely elegant and classic Bordeaux. I have never been a huge fan of Ducru (some of the vintages in the 80s and 70s were quite thin and rough) but am willing to be pursuaded if the more modern wines are like this.
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9/20/2010 - InflationHedge wrote: 94 Points
Excellent...Splash decanted. Deep garnet color, bright bouquet of daark fruit and mild tobacco. Nice weight and balance, ample fruit and light smoke on palate. This is great now and should continue to drink nicely into the foreseeable future.
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8/23/2010 - MRichman wrote:
1995 Bordeaux at 15 years horizontal (Apiary, NYC): Herbal, broad, elegant, complex and complete. Has a lot going on. Lovely. What more could you want? Drinking a little young, but delicious. My WOTN.
A
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7/24/2010 - bbrantley wrote:
From memory, so nothing detailed, but this was delicious. Certainly ready to drink.
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6/25/2010 - atl20 wrote: 92 Points
Wine was smooth and polished. Coffee notes overpowered some of the tobacco and graphite, though they were there. Had a nice mix of fruit. A complex wine, but I hope to see the other components come more into play in the next bottle.
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6/22/2010 - tbrady wrote: 93 Points
2 hour decant. Probably not enough time. The wine got bigger and better over the next two hours. But everything was always in balance - a little short on the fruit overall. Seems like it could get better with time.
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6/16/2010 - Yagil Likes this wine: 94 Points
1995-1996 Bordeaux evening (At Hugo's): took long time (over 4 hours) for the wine to open, even in a decanter, but then it a heavy, high-quality, enduring, full-bodied and lot of everything.
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5/29/2010 - KevinS wrote: 91 Points
Very nice, but a little thin as others have noted after it had been open awhile. Not sure where this one goes from here...
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5/27/2010 - jpijg wrote: 91 Points
Nose : blackberry, tobacco, graphite. In the mouth, the wine appear young and fresh. Aromas are pure and well defined. Fruits have good maturity but the powerful tanins are still a hard edged.
It seems that the wine could evolve, but not 100% sure of the evolution of the tannins.
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5/17/2010 - paulst wrote: 97 Points
6 hour decant. Nose of sweet blackberry and licorice; almost perfect balance of soft smooth blackberry laden fruit; round rich soft tannins; ends with almost perfect acidic texture; it grabs you; outstanding expression of the St Julien terrior.
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3/12/2010 - BinVA wrote: 89 Points
Drank along side a rack of lamb. Good but thin and lacking something. Not sure why I would continue to age this bottle.
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3/10/2010 - BigRed1000 wrote: 89 Points
Good but once again it's thin in the mid palete like most of the 95's. Had this next to the 96 and it was much better and full in the mouth.
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3/9/2010 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
see prev. notes
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3/7/2010 - ldorf wrote: 92 Points
Agree... hold another 5-10 years. Going to be fabulous.
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12/30/2009 - Bunski wrote: 91 Points
This wine just needs more time, or decant longer. All the elements are there, but still missing that little extra.
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12/24/2009 - Asmo wrote: 90 Points
beautiful bouquet, floral nose. elegant but lacks focus to make it a great wine. paired well with french cuisine but would be overpowered by typical american restaurant food (heavy on sauce/flavors/salt)
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12/17/2009 - ricknat1 wrote: 90 Points
Dark ruby with a nose dark berries and very easy, smooth and nice, but not big in the mouth. Did not compare to the 82. 90
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11/19/2009 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Bordeaux 95 vs 96 with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): Side by side 95vs96 @ Handfors's Tasting with Richard Brazier.
See you in 10yrs my frd. Very tannic, closed and very classic. Elegant though (especially vs the 96) but no complexity yet. let it sleep.
Preferred the 96 over the 95
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9/17/2009 - ken-yyz wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours and developed and changed dramatically over another 3 hours. The nose went from an intense smokiness to a cassis and tar bouquet. Out of the decanter, there was a ton of red fruit but it dropped off and the wine almost was austere. Another 30 minutes later, and the fruit just exploded out of the glass. Its really hard to imagine that this was the same wine from start to finish.
With another bottle in the cellar, I'm going to wait another 5-10 years on this one. I think it is going to go to a wonderful place.
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9/5/2009 - eSchrag wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic bordeaux that is in its prime drinking phase. Good fruit and cedar on the nose. Has great red fruit with smoth tannins and a memium to long finish. Enjoy!!!
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8/20/2009 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
See previous notes.
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7/18/2009 - vintage61 wrote: 90 Points
Will this wine ever come around. No noticable tannin, but still very restrained on both the nose and palate. This is the second time I have had this wine this month and both bottles seemed consistant. Had it two weeks ago with Robert in NJ on July 3, the bottle from a totally different source. Deep dark youthful color, all the way to the rim. No jagged edges meaning good balance and structure, but little else to talk about. HOLD HOLD HOLD. I would never buy this wine today at todays price. Hopeing for the best and fearful of the worst. My score has the room for some upside and downside.
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7/9/2009 - aof wrote:
Not yielding much, even after a 4hr decant. Cellar.
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6/29/2009 - Zweder wrote:
Occasional tasting group: A mixed set; mostly Bordeaux (blends). (@ PVa): Not completely fresh. A bit musty, not clearly corked, but I am not sure. The wine behind it is definitely ok. No score.
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6/28/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:
From our cellar this is still rather closed, even with a three hour decant. Muted nose of earth and dark blue fruit. A layer of tannin that, while not at all mouth-puckering, seems to suck up the fruit in the palate. Moderate finish. Wait....
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6/22/2009 - RiedelBeagle wrote: 96 Points
Seductive, almost pungent barnyardy musk on the nose right out of the bottle -- this mellowed and became a lot more complex as the night wore on. A wonderful, massive wine. Gravel, tobacco, leather, and smoke. Very long finish. Chewy, slightly gritty mouthfeel. Very grippy. The tannins were a bit astringent for an hour or two, and they're still a bit too prominent now, as we finish the bottle some 4+ hours later. This was really a treat, one of the best wines I've drunk in quite a while. But I think it still hasn't reached its peak.
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6/20/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote: 94 Points
Last tasted in May 2008, this bottle from the same auction source. Opened and evolved on the table, clearly improving and gaining power & aromatics as the night progressed. Youthful and vigorous, showing nice balance, perhaps more to the lean than the lush side, but no lack of fruit, grip or structure. These continue to signal they are on the ascension, with very long life. Late in the second hour a little more earthy depth emerged. Delicious. Shared with good friends who brought a beautiful 1982 Gruaud Larose which, by way of comparison, was completely integrated and very comfortably beautiful to enjoy.
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6/19/2009 - hcampana wrote: 91 Points
Had at Bibou with Miguel Lecuona and his wife
This wine is not yet giving all it has got. The nose is quite reticent, offering only a glimpse of dark fruits and minerals. In the palate it comes across softer and less full bodied than the awesome 1982 Gruaud Larose that we are drinking beside it. The tannin is not yet resolved. This is an old style Bordeaux on the elegant side that is in sharp contrast to the newer, riper, loaded Ducrus of the Bruno Borie era (which are spectacular). I frankly cannot see the ripeness and flamboyance that Parker saw in this wine early on. The wine improved all night long, which bodes well for its future.
Este vino no está dando todo lo que tiene. La nariz es bastante reticente, ofreciendo solo un vistazo de frutas negras y minerales. En boca, no tiene la concentración, corpulencia y densidad del Gruaud Larose 1982 que tomamos a su lado. Los taninos requieren más tiempo para integrarse. Este es un Burdeos de la vieja guardia que contrasta con el estilo más maduro, expresivo y concentrado que bruno Borie ha impreso a partir de la década de los 2000. Francamente no encuentro la abundancia de fruta y golosidad que Parker encontró en este vino cuando recién salió al mercado. El vino mejoró toda la noche, lo que augura un buen futuro.
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6/12/2009 - rsepulve wrote: 94 Points
Just entering its drinking window this Bdx shows dark fruit, smoke, cedar, and sweet tobacco. Silky texture, well balanced, well structured. Perhaps a bit short on the finish but that's just nit-picking. Lovely wine with many years of positive development left. 94+
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5/26/2009 - LARich wrote: 94 Points
Delicious wine in it's prime. Full, velvety character with currant and cedar overtones. slight smoky character as well, and a finish that goes on for 30+ seconds. Wish we had more!
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5/22/2009 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 97 Points
Dark in color, offering wonderful aromas of dark currant, fresh tobacco, charcoal, surrounded by spring flowers. Complex and full-bodied, with supersilky tannins that caress every inch of the palate. Long and satisfying. – JD97
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5/18/2009 - paulst wrote: 94 Points
Earthy nose, initially light, develops over many hours to rich blackberry with smooth chewy sweet tanins.
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5/4/2009 - HIT wrote: 94 Points
A nice surprise from Ducru, first taste for me. I had a taste straight after opening and it was very uptight. But it really unwound nicely after some time in the decanter. Very pure nose with minerals and some chocolate. Good balance with dark fruit and cassis, still tannic with some years to go. The finish is long and elegant.
This wine has some time to go still. I only had one bottle of this but I am definately doing something about that.
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4/23/2009 - jlgnml wrote: 88 Points
HDH BYOB at Custom House (Custom House Chicago IL): Light on the palate, not lasting flavor, high tanin
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3/7/2009 - paulst wrote: 98 Points
Leather nose. Smooth soft elegant blackberry with earthy balance. Balanced length with some complexity and long finish with chocolate.
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12/18/2008 - SteveHoch wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful Bottle. Great nose of tobacco, licorice, black cherry. Dark deep red color . Great balance . lots of finesse, lots of dark fruit and a great long finnish.
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11/28/2008 - pea wrote: 94 Points
Dark, almost opaque, brick red color. Voluptuous sweet nose with leather, cedar and dark chocolate. Medium bodied, with ample fruit and solid tannins (well integrated) giving this wine a racy backbone. Classy!
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11/2/2008 - LSussman wrote: 93 Points
very nice
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9/19/2008 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Definitely a good wine, but not as impressive as it should be. Quite compact. Possibly it needs more time. So I wait another 3 years before I open the next bottle.
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8/23/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: flawed
Although not apparent at first, after about 30 minutes it was clear that this bottle was corked. Very unfortunate :(
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8/23/2008 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Initially it looked and smelled like a Pinot Noir. Musty, well integrated but not very sweet. Dark, dark red. Good but not great. Not sure what the WS saw here.
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8/17/2008 - LSussman wrote: 91 Points
ready to drink now, fruit almost gone
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8/3/2008 - Alex H wrote: 89 Points
Ducru Vertical (Lam Soon): Whiffs of blue flowers show on a rather expressive and big nose. Clean pure black fruits with good balance. It feels unready with lots of power raring to go but needing more time to rev up. Not getting as much as I would like but still very classic in its approach. 88+ to 90pts.
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8/2/2008 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Ducru Beaucaillou Vertical (1978, '85, '86, '95 and '96, with a few extras) (Richfield, Lam Soon Building, Singapore): This was a very good wine indeed, everything was in the right place - it just did not excite me as much as it should for some reason. Still darkly purple. Nose showed some meat, some green pepper, the littlest undertone of buttery oak and lots of dark, brooding blackberry and plum fruit. Very good. After some time, a familiar jasmine tea-ish scent appeared as well as a slightly dried-fishy tang, rather like loam or mud from a forest stream - sounds bad, but really more interesting, even enticing than unpleasant. The palate showed great balance, power and intensity, with lots more of the dark, plush fruit, yet it was still friendly and very poised, unlike the 1996, which came across rather big and loud in spite of its loads of seductive fruit and flowers. This had real structure - lovely fresh acid and the finest tannins moving into a nice round finish which, while not long, was not exactly short either. Overall, this was a solid wine that has quite a bit of room for improvement as it ages. Probably the most classic Bordelais of the vintages we tried too.
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7/19/2008 - JimN wrote: 92 Points
Drank right after a '66 Latour, so a bit hard not to be distracted. Lovely, elegant wine, that seemed less ready to drink than earlier bottles I have had. A bit tight; needed a bit more time in the air. Probably should have decanted.
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7/13/2008 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
Drank after 1.5 hours decant. Still a bit closed, with mineral and fruit about equal in presence. Nose was of crushed granite and cassis. Taste was medium to full bodied and smooth, with a zippy acidity and loads of cassis, crushed gravel, smooth oak, and plum. Finish was long. Very good.
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6/28/2008 - the godfather wrote: 93 Points
this wine smelled exactly like Insignia, blind I would have guessed CA, just a baby with a ton of potential
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6/15/2008 - wineguysf wrote: 94 Points
Simply awesome. Way too young so hopefully my next bottle is a good one. I'm gong to save it for 10 more years at least.
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5/31/2008 - winecat9 wrote: 94 Points
G10 - 1995 Bordeaux (Ale (@ Spengler)): Outstanding nose. Supple fruit. Perfect balance.
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5/16/2008 - City Wine Journal wrote: 95 Points
Decanted, very little sediment. Youthful red/blue pooling color. Balanced, beautiful, structured, long, with a core of dark fruit, cassis, spice and cedar. Long finish. Lasted several hours with no signs of fatigue. Long life to live!
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4/17/2008 - EJM5653 wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Morton's with a Porterhouse for a birthday dinner. Great choice. Decanted upon arrival and sampled for the next hour in a relaxing prelude to the steak birthday dinner. Half the bottle remained when the steaks arrived. The wine opened beautifully with a fruitier than expected first impression followed by a developing complexity of flavors starting with dark fruit and developing into a mineral, graphite mocha delight. The finish was memorably long. This wine is a real treat.
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3/20/2008 - J-Sho wrote: 92 Points
Nose with quite a bit of mocha along with cassis and dark fruit. Initially on the palate was grippy and tight. Slowly this opened (after decanting and waiting) into medium density palate with nice complexity and minerality. Still found it lacking some overall depth. Finish was moderately long. Given the hype and cost this was somewhat disappointing. Maybe just needed to decant longer.
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3/1/2008 - aof wrote: 94 Points
Ducru-Beaucaillou Vertical and a Mystery Wine (Rochester, MN): Perfumed nose. Medium density with astonishing concentration of dark ripe fruits with a leading edge of sweetness. This displayed a complex core of secondary nuances- tobacco and graphite. It showed both vigor and finesse. Terrific finish, lasting 30 seconds. My wine of the night.
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2/12/2008 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical (Institute of Directors, London): Very like the 1996, I thought, dark, balanced, focused, but still tight
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2/1/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
HDH 95/96 Comparative Tasting (Newberry Library, Chicago IL): nose: big deep and dense nose. Cedar, tobbacco, earth, minerals, and black currant just work together
taste: huge mouth with tons of grip. Tons of dark fruit, black currant, tobbacco, and cedar. This one wants to take you on a ride
overall: this is a massive wine. big broad structure on this, but also very balanced, this one doesn't mess around
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1/27/2008 - markmontgo wrote: 90 Points
rather disappointing, needs more age?
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1/12/2008 - Jozefs wrote: 94 Points
Excellent, wide open, good fruit, fresh, good structure.
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12/31/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 95 Points
Great classic bordeaux. terrior, denser concentration than most bordeaux, beautiful.
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12/31/2007 - mtkutzman@gmail.com wrote:
New Years Eve dinner. We made filets with Joanne's famous cabernet sauce and we also opened and compared this wine with 2000 Silver Oak Napa Valley.
The Silver Oak was super oaky as you would expect. I decanted both bottles for 2 hours before dinner. The SO had weak fruit in comparison.
The Ducru was phenominal. Light velety tannins, soft finish.
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10/20/2007 - pian0_player wrote: 96 Points
Stunning. Cassis, crushed stone, beautiful texture. Decanted for 2 hours and then drank over the next three. Classic Bordeaux, wih I had a case of this stuff. Luscious dark fruit. Wonderful nose with well still some tannic backbone. Layers of fruit.
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10/9/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful elegant bordeaux.
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9/17/2007 - Bunski wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hrs prior to drinking. Very smooth, a touch of tannins still left, wonderful aromas of fruit. Not overly complex and a little light. Many many good years ahead of it, and should probably wait to drink for awhile.
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9/9/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 95 Points
Amazing, Bordeaux done right.
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8/17/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 95 Points
Exceptional, still young but very drinkable now. Big nose for a Bordeaux, smooth as silk with a long finish.
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4/1/2007 - JBVino wrote:
Consumed at Gary Danko with 95 Canon Gafeliere...Giving nothing...opened put in a decanter set aside for 60-90min then tasted over another 90 min and after 3hrs still giving nothing...will wait at least five years to try next bottle.
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3/24/2007 - Cilantro wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Wood and hint of earth on nose. Medium garnet. Fruit, wood and hints of smoke and earth on palate, but not sweet like a California cab. This gained weight with air-time, and the last sips were the most balanced and tasty. Tannins resolved, accessible now, will continue to improve and gain gravitas with time.
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1/31/2007 - bdenuyl wrote: 93 Points
A very nice Bordeaux that needed an hour to open up in a decanter. Excellent balance, and decent depth, I think it will be better in 2010. No reason to buy more.
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12/26/2006 - Jozefs wrote: 94 Points
Becoming more and more accessible, with the fruit now shining through the structure.
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12/25/2006 - beachnic wrote: 88 Points
Had at Christmas dinner. Dissapointing faded fairly unpleasant aromas and just not that good. I'm being generous with my score.
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9/19/2006 - Alpine wrote: 95 Points
Dark cherry to the rim, nice nose of red & black fruits...cassis, currant....the fruit cut a big path on the palate...very solid tannic spine...outstanding lenght with mocha flavors.
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7/25/2006 - vintage61 wrote: 95 Points
excellent depth of fruit and balance. Just a hint of tannin on the finish. Deep purple with no bricking at the edges. Can go now but will hold for a long time.
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6/8/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 92 Points
1995 Bordeaux Tasting - Uncorked (Uncorked, London): Very tight, closed, a hint of sweet almost kirschy fruit, very solid acid and tannin structure, long balanced finish, quite big, too young by far. 13%.
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4/19/2006 - Cilantro wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 6 hours. Had with herb roasted rack of lamb. Slightly smoky nose, medium color and weight, still tight with flavors of dried fruit and some cedar. Medium finish. This is still improving with time.
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3/26/2006 - bevetroppo wrote: 91 Points
Well-crafted and distinctively St. Julien. Round and appealing plum fruit flavors, backed by evolved notes of cedar and pencil. Still quite young at opening, it got better with an hour or two in a decanter and more and more descriptive of its terroir. A thoroughly typical and lovely wine.
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2/19/2006 - Vine wrote:
Dark ruby red. This is slightly corked with the resulting fruit masking. Quite bitter in the mouth. Very disappointing.
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2/5/2006 - Cilantro wrote: 91 Points
Superbowl afternoon cabernet tasting (Home in Boston): Floral nose, but not overpowering. Medium weight in color, taste of earth and wood, but still tight even after 6 hours in decanter. Dry, focused finish with some complexity (caramel?) at the end. I have always been disappointed with Ducru 95, perhaps because I expected a WS WOTY to just blow me away. In reality, this is an excellent bordeaux that is still young, even though it will never be huge.
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11/20/2005 - Ben Andersen wrote:
BLIND 1995 Bordeaux etc...: Tasted BLIND. Dark. Big. Plush, but still structured. Excellent. Will go the distance. One of the better wines of the evening.
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11/19/2005 - MRichman wrote:
St. Julien Fest (NYC): Soft fruit, tannins resolving. Dense, good fruit.
B+/A-
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9/2/2005 - babnik wrote: 91 Points
Great, but still needs time for a few more points.
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7/15/2005 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Roy in NYC part 1: "The Brothers" at Tribeca (Tribeca Grill): young and powerfull. needs lots of time but will never be a blockbuster. on the other hand this will be a beutifull claret when mature. classic.
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7/8/2005 - paulg936 wrote: 95 Points
Still very young but wonderful.
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5/14/2005 - MarkC wrote: 91 Points
Cassis and currant, cedar and sage notes, underscored by medium-bodied fruit, tea, smoke, and a bit too much acid for my palate. Probably would've been better if decanted and given a chance to open up some more.
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5/14/2005 - cassetta wrote: 94 Points
Blair's Burgundy and Bordeaux Blowout: Bright ruby. This wine had tea, lead pencil and cassis on the nose. Full bodied with sweet tannins in the background and a nice smooth finnish. Approachable now with 4 hours in the decanter but could really benifit from a few more years in the cellar.
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2/13/2005 - jamiekutch wrote:
Long Island Wine's VS. The World... Who was the winner? You will be surpriced (Paumanok Vineyards, North Fork, Long Island, New York): The lead pencil pointed me to think Bordeaux. This wine offered up meat leather, come tabacco and not much in the way of fruit. I think it needed a lot more air and as for the fruit I found myself waiting for a trains to arrive in the station and I couldn't even hear the whistle. To me this was a let down.
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1/19/2005 - Jozefs wrote: 94 Points
Lead pencil, liquorice, meat, cough sirup and leather on the really "macho" nose. Lots of material on the palate, with the emphasis on structure. Still a lot of tannins and a noticeable acidity, but also cough sirup, kirsch, leather, tobacco and subdued fruit tones. After about four hours the fruit began to dominate palate. This leads me to believe this wine is far from ready.
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6/27/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Tasted from the wine bar at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Bright disc. Opaque ruby robe with red rim. Clean nose, developing over two hours in the glass and showing intense chocolate, currants, vanilla, tar and earth aromas. Full-bodied on the palate, with firm, somewhat astringent tannins, good acidity and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, dry finish. There is no question that this is a superb Ducru, but it needs time in the bottle to flesh out and let the tannins soften. It certainly has the structure to allow extended aging, and will quite possibly merit a higher score in the future.
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5/19/2003 - babnik wrote:
Way too soon on this one, very backward and tight tannins but I wanted to see how it was developing. Opened up after 2 hours to reveal nice saddle leather, cedar, raspberry, and blueberry fruit. Such a different style of winemaking from the evening’s other wines. I’ll wait at least another 3 years to open another one of these.
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9/7/2002 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 91 Points
Red. A hint of age at the rim (!) Cigarbox and leather scents here. Also wet wood. A moderately sized body to this wine. A lot of finesse but a somewhat coarse and indifferent mouthfeel. I did like the sweet vanilla-like profile. But the fruit and stuffing just didn't seem to be there. What was there was admirably balanced. This was a pleasant and nice drink. Just not what it I had expected.
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7/9/2002 - peternelson wrote: 98 Points
Wine House: Slightly cloudy purple, sweet currant nose, licorice; more forward, lighter style; flowery, light on tongue, very nice fin., “soft & balanced”.
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3/24/2002 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Stronger nose than Margeaux; Nice cab. qualities; OK.
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1/1/2002 - winefool wrote: 86 Points
Faint aroma. A little sour/tannic with medium fruit behind it. 1/02
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7/29/2001 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 94 Points
The smell of this is very impressive: peppery, chocolatey, fruity, spicy! The midpalate seemed just a touch hollow, but I must say that this oozes class from beginning to end. The fruit is very defined, and acid, tannin and everything is in total balance. I know that this should probably be kept for another 10 years or so, but it drinks beautifully now.
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3/1/2000 - sdr Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Medium color. Closed. Bitter tannins. No pleasure in this bottle.
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3/12/1998 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 87 Points
1995 Vintage Bordeaux Tasting (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nice, open fruity nose and taste, simple, easy to taste.
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