A charming, classic, medium-bodied, Bordeaux with dried flowers, red currants, red plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, and spice notes that display in the nose and on the soft, refined, elegant, crisp, and vibrant palate. This is not a wine to hold for further aging. But, it is just great for near-term consumption. Drink from 2023-2028.
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Mid-shoulder. Opened a bit longer before serving than my last bottle. Very dark crimson color belying the wine's age. The palate was, however, disappointing as the wine felt tired and didn't give much. Two more bottles, I won't wait that long before opening them.
From a cool cellar purchased on release Crystal clear ruby garbet with a bit of sediment Fairly rich black cherry flavors with some hints of violets and iodine. This particular bottle was was in perfect shape. Lovely
This is a very well preserved bottle from K&L with joint neck ullage and excellent color, albeit brown at the meniscus. It’s Ducru and it’s old so there's more leather and raisin than bright fruit. Slightly elevated acidity but by no means spoiled. Medium weight and concentration. Very good, especially for age but younger Ducru is more enjoyable.
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1970 Themed Bordeaux Dinner: Medium shoulder fill. This pours light garnet in the glass with medium bricking. The nose is of pencil shavings, tobacco, dried red cherry, peonies, gravel, celery seed and black currants. The palate enters on bright acidity with lovely tobacco character. Low tannin and medium acid. The finish is medium plus in length and closes nicely replaying much of the nose. All in all this was another bottle that was just a touch behind expectations, but by the same token was perfectly serviceable.
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Bouteille achetée automne 2022 aux enchères. Niveau bas goulot, capsule et étiquette OK. Ouverte et servie de suite. Bouchon très imbibé mais venu entier avec The Durand. Robe tuilée, frange aqueuse, densité moyenne, plus proche d'un Bourgogne que d'un Bordeaux. Nez sur les arômes tertiaires, musc, cuir et aussi cèdre et menthol. En bouche, le vin est suave, les tannins sont totalement intégrés et offre encore de belles sensations gustatives. Un vin à boire bien sûr mais qui reste toujours intéressant. Côté assiette : filets de palombes / Tajarin (pâtes piémontaises aux œufs), sauce crémeuse aux cèpes et noisettes. 92+/100
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Drank the 1970 ducru beaucaillou, montrose and la clotte to celebrate the fact that the number of people around the table were born in 1970 but missed out on having a 50th party due to Covid - I know, a first world problem! The wines were all thoroughly enjoyable despite their age. The Ducru (94 pts) just edged it ahead of Montrose (93 pts) and La Clotte (91 pts). A vintage that the can still offer pleasure if the wines are stored well.
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Pnp. Was worried about this bottle as the cork had slipped almost entirely into the bottle, and as I cut the capsule the cork fell completely inside. However it seemed to have sealed the wine until the very end as this 70 is showing really well and much better than a bottle 4 years ago. Garnet with just slight bricking towards the rim.Beautifully integrated with fine wood spices, tobacco and some iron and earth around a still medium bodied fruit core. Much more weight here compared to an also very pretty 66 Ducru a few days ago. Not particularly long or complex but a complete and satisfying mature Bdx experience
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Le nez est puissant, complexe sur des notes de poivron rouge fumé, de bois précieux, épices (poivre), fruits noirs. Superbe ! La bouche est encore plus marquante : un mélange incroyable de puissance et d'élégance aristocratique avec un grain parfaitement soyeux.
Quelle présence ! l'archétype du bordeaux à maturité !
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Mid-shoulder. The cork disintegrated upon opening. At first almost overwhelming barnyard notes but these dissipated after around 20 minutes in the glass. After that we got to enjoy a good if not great mature bordeaux. I still have three bottles and will allow for 30-60 minutes between opening and tasting.
In terrific shape, this was textbook old Bordeaux - cedar/tobacco for days. Vastly better than the 75 Latour next to it, though I thought that was an off bottle (unless old socks is a common Bordeaux descriptor). That said, this was ultimately more "proper" than it was especially exciting, but an excellent drink nevertheless. Plenty of fruit left here - I think this has years to go.
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From magnum. Tight at first, opened up quickly after decanting over 1-2 hours, then faded somewhat beyond that. A subtle wine on tertiary aromas -- not about power here. Not quite as good as the last bottle but still very nice.
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I thought this bottle, sourced years ago from K&L, must have been recorked. The label and capsule were mint, the level very top shoulder, the cork moist and very firm, the color showing just a bit of orange and brown. Yet there was no indication on label or cork that it was. The wine was archetypical Ducru Beaucaillou, austere tart red cherry, no oak apparent, spicy, challenging and severe. But if you can appreciate the style, it’s quite remarkable and rewarding. Old but by no means tired.
unbelievable effort from Ducru, the wine doesn't age, like TB12 on this SuperBowl Sunday. Cork in great shape, immaculate bottle from the cellar, this bordeaux can last another 10-15 years and keep its magnificence.
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Decant to remove sediment. Classic Ducru bouquet right out of the bottle. Followed over 3+ hours. Lovely mouthfeel and tannins as to be expected after 50 years. This had everything you would want and was in wonderful shape, but is a bit greener than the '61 I had a few weeks ago. Wonderful experience, but a notch below the '61 and 2000.
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Followed for a few hours in the decanter, this magnum was very good but perhaps a "70th percentile" example of 70 Ducru-Beaucaillou. A wall of currant, slightly taciturn in the mold of the 1959, with warm cedar, fresh earth, and baking spices. Slightly gingery palate, warm and inviting. Fullish in the mouth.
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A perfect example of a classic styled Bordeaux. As rustic as it is charming, with a great cedar, tobacco, wet earth and red berry nose, with a finish that wants to be elegant, but cant get there, and offers rusticity in the tannins, with some greeness, and yet, a lot of charm.
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Light red, funky upon opening, lovely nose after 30min, old cupboard, still a decent body, faded after 2.5 hours, drink up, not as good as the bottle earlier this year 92
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Auction bottle. Cork 90% wet but sound. Color is light, as expected but not as brick-edged as I thought it might be. Immediate nose of cedar, leather, and subtle blackberry. Palate is drying out, but echoes the nose, plus still some refined tannin. This was still fresh and fantastic. Not as fresh or sound as a 70 Beausejour Duffau but great in its own way.
Dinner at Margeaux Brasserie (Chicago, IL): These old Ducrus always pick up notes that are evocative of TCA; they generally aren't corked, but they're definitely pretty dirty and close to it. This was showing its age, and not too well, with some iron oxide flavours on the back end. A little charmless and hard, kind of like Gruaud Larose, to be honest. The fruit is subtle, and if you aren't really looking for it, it's not there. Frankly, just not the kind of old Bordeaux I like.
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Amazing bottle. Nose was vintage acidic with dampened chocolate. Felt like a slow stroll through a damp forest with mad galloping horse coming towards you! The front part of the palate is subdued chocolate. The backend finishes with an intense acidity with notes of leather, tobacco, tar, and blackberry.
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Obituary: 1970 Bordeaux: I’ve had this wine many times since it was the first “old” Bordeaux I drank when it was ten or twelve. It has survived the decades since quite well and is fairly consistent too. It has that cedary mahogany polished leather aroma that old Bordeaux fanatics seek. This particular bottle was slightly below average for ‘70 Ducru since the grip and intensity was fading. Pleasant enough though.
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Super Seconds and the Like (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color, 7mm transitional margin. PNP, drank a glass over an hour plus. From a series of ’55, ’70, ’89. And ’95 Ducru. This was a wow, drinking great. Dense and full bodied, very silky on the palate, graphite, dark fruits that are quite lively, earth and minerality here with a long finish. Excellent. 94+ to 95pts.
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And yet another great Ducru from our recent Capital Grill BDX dinner. This was opened on the heels of the '55 when the '55 started out suspect for a very short period of time. My dad was a retailer in 60s/70s/80s/90s and I remember distributors hawking the 1970 BDX vintage as the 2nd coming of '61. My dad bought and sold quite a bit of it. Tasting this excellent '70 was a lot of fun in that context and this one has really lived up the release hype from a vintage that has since been looked upon less favorably. I believe this '70 came from the same local cellar sell off as the '55 and some other gems we've enjoyed over the past few years thanks to Siggy. Tonight it wasn't my top pick as the '55 Ducru along with the '83 Montrose were still my favorites but others at the table felt this was the best wine that night. Like the '55 this was fully resolved, ubber silky and very complex. A real treat to stumble onto a 1970 that is as outstanding as we hoped when dad sold these in the early 70s in his store.
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Ducru Beaucaillou - 90 year Retrospective (Boston Harbor Hotel): The only reason this did not land in the top three tonight was that the 34 and the final flight were so extraordinary. Silky black fruit of blackberry, currant and cassis and wrapped with loamy earth, sweet sandalwood and ginger spice. Powerful yet giving from magnum, and focused in by restrained balance.
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90 years of Ducru Beaucaillou: Remarkably consistent profile to another magnum a few years ago, but this time much more full of life. Of course, the provenance here is excellent. This base neck magnum decanted 2 hours shows a very sandalwood-heavy, cedary, gingery nose still with plenty of fine-boned blackcurrant. Lots of presence and impact. Excellent. I wouldn't hold onto these for ages, but it's a great time now.
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Outstanding. Both glad we decanted and glad we tasted at every stage. Very reticent at first, successively showing several stages of evolution across 3 hours. Very pretty berry notes with some secondaries and good balance. Built over several hours to show a bigger (but never big) body and complexity.
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For years the ‘70 Ducru seemed inconsistent even allowing for age, but lately it seems to have stabilized at a very nice level. Never one to flaunt much of a bouquet, but like this well preserved ex-Château 2007 bottle from K&L, it achieves a pleasant balance, avoiding the excess acidity that plagues so many ‘70 Bordeaux in the winter of their lives. The best part of this Ducru is its wonderful complexity of savory roasted plum, old wood and gentle smoke. The texture is pleasing as well. Especially impressive is its evolution over a couple of hours so that each sip revealed extra nuances. Vive Ducru.
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I continue to be impressed by this wine. It seems stubborn to the point of indestructibility. The last time I drank one of these was two years ago. And it hasn't really moved at all. The fruit remains vibrant, almost even fresh except for the dignified old leather aromas that would greet you when you climb into your granddad's gullwing mercedes. (I'm just imagining, as neither of my granddads could have afforded such a fine car.) Each sip and swirl was quiet vinous pleasure down to the last. I try not to be attached to possessions, but still, I can't help being pleased at having a few more bottles of this beautiful Ducru.
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Ducru Mini-Vertical (3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): DrinkBordeaux’s bottle. A excellent bottle of 1970 Ducru, a wine with considerable bottle variation, even for its age. Sometimes it’s hard and bitter. Not this time. Tender for Ducru. Mellow. Intense finish. Lovely cinnamon fragrance for the first few minutes. Finally turned a bit coarse after 2 hours and a hint of rubber intruded. Very enjoyable up to then.
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Not the best bottle with a high shoulder fill. Completely soaked cork. Opened and tried a sip. Closed on the nose, some medicinal and oxidative notes on the palate. Put open bottle in fridge and tried an hour later with not much change, so thought about pouring out, but in the end put bottle back in fridge. 18 hours later, the wine in an open bottle has improved a bit. Herbal and medicinal notes, some cedar and a touch of red fruit. Fine tannins. Good medium length. Would rate around 87-88 but bottles in good condition certainly better
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When I took the capsule off, the cork was depressed about 1/4 inch, and the space between the cork and the capsule was filled with some seepage...not an auspicious start. Got the cork off in 1 piece with the help of a durand, and it was completely soaked through.
Nevertheless, this wine was in an excellent place. After about 10 minutes, it was just singing old Bordeaux. Soft cedar and berries, with leather and a touch of spice on the nose. Still showed some structure on the palate, with good acidity. Better than the '75 I had a few months ago.
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High shoulder fill, very wet, crumbling cork. decanted thru filter. Noticeable bricking but pleasant nose during pour. Fruit became more prominent after 30+ minutes and I would never have guessed that I was drinking a 47 year old Bordeaux. Classic old world 12%ABV. My note from 5/04/17 mirror this experience. I will probably drink my last 2 bottles sooner rather than later since they have similar fill levels.
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Solid example of classic, old school, Saint Julien, with its nose of cedar, tobacco, wet forest floor, spice box and red berries. Rustic, but charming, the medium bodied wine is more on the secondary side of life. No decanting needed here, just pop and pour.
Soft, light Bordeau. While there is a little tannin left, this is a wonderful, mature wine. A bit of the dusky patina that comes from age. Lighter than wine from Peauillac for example. This is characteristic of St. Juliens.
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High shoulder fill, Saturated cork which broke up while using an Ah-So (I might have benefited by having an air/gas injection device to pressure force the cork out of the bottle. Dark, bright color in the glass, with bricking on the edge. Nose was compelling/delightful cedar, leather, earth, dark fruit, perhaps a hint of mint, which could be enjoyed forever . Incredibly soft on the palate with a multi layered fairly long finish. All in all, a great wine and I am glad to have 3 more.
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Dried out crumbling cork. Slightly garnet. Sweet cherry with woody nose. Sweet cherry, blackberry and red plum with some cedar. Forty seven years and still great.
Had it along side the '85 Ducru as a part of a small lineup of old Bordeaux with good aging (imho, ymmv). Lots of secondary tastes for the older vintage. Dark red brick color. Earthy from nose and palate. Leather, ceder on palate. Peppery. Lots of peppers. The fruit is certainly still there. Medium plus on the finish. Not as much fruit as the '85 (that was somewhat more purple red and certainly m,ore fruit). In good storage, it is ready for drinking but will not fade anytime soon. It was (to date, the last) in my storage, but I may pursue finding few more in good storage conditions. 94+ (I would have given it 95, but I could be biased with wine arriving from my storage, hence, only 94)
Comparative note: The '70 and '85 Ducru were very different. Better? no, different. It is a matter of personal preferences. If you would like more peppers and spices on the palate, go with the '70. If you like to have more of the fruit on the palate, go with the '85.
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Pop and pour. Fully mature with bricking to the core. Nose and palate were singing with tart red cherries, decaying floral notes, five spice, and cedar. Mid-palate was in perfect harmony with light and chewy red fruits cradled between mouth-watering acidity and sweet, barely there tannins. Finish was lengthy and complex. This was a great bottle to be sure!
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Elegant and ligher wine, with more graphite and energy than the other St Julien 1970s served alongside. Surprisingly no cassis. Others at the table liked this more than me, but I’ve not been a big fan of older Ducru's. 92-93pts
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Base neck fill, bottle in very good condition for a 1970.
Tasted blind as a ringer in a flight with 10 Cabernet from California, from 1960s and 1970s. I ranked this 2nd of 11, but it did not stand out particularly as a Bordeaux. Although with Ducru Beaucaillou's more fruity profile compared to other Left Bank ones, that may not be surprising.
The nose started with notes of old oak, sandalwood, and smoke, but then elegant red cherry and strawberry elements emerged, along with complexity added by cigar and cedar. Over time dried red cherry, cigar, and cedar dominated. The wine had a certain austerity, characteristic of Bordeaux, but many other wines in the flight (that included two Inglenooks, two BV Georges Latours, a Dehlinger, and a Charles Krug) had similar personalities.
The palate was nicely complex with red fruit, cigar, and oak. The biggest nit on this wine might have been that it was still surprising tannic. While the structure was nice, I would have hoped for a more smooth finish.
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Restaurant purchase with ~15 minute decant. Leathery, mushroom nose at first. Nose drastically changed over the first 15 minutes. Surprising amount of fruit still left. Fruit was mostly very dark and overripe. Quite a bit of earthy forest floor. Great wine that evolved over 2 hours. Decanting not needed.
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21st of 24, decanted 60 minutes, wet cork, level top shoulder, just beginning to lighten and fade, but still retaining beautiful balance, structure and fruit (albeit diminished) of the vintage, just off normal very fine rating which I suspect well cellared magnums would still merit.....not dissimilar flavour profile to 98 on same night.
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Glorius wine. aged with delicate taste. A very small amount of tannin left. Acidity low but balanced with flavors. Soft and supple. This wine was a treat to drink.
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I'm so happy to have found a few more bottles of this wine. Top shoulder fill, but there were no problems. The wine, given a few minutes to breathe, was sturdy and well built. The fruit and tannin were nicely integrated into a fulsome, mellow wine that was enjoyable from the first glass, all the way to the last. And given the gentleness of the alcohol, it did not take Mrs L and I very long to get there.
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Impressions were essentially the same as my 11/4/16 notes. Slightly lower fill level: Mid shoulder, wine shared with those hosting a private tasting event at a large vendor with numerous distributors present.
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Anticipated to be flawed because fill level was in the low shoulder, but after decanting (broken/crumbling cork) and swirling for several minutes, the reduction odor dissipated and was enjoyed by several Bordeaux lovers who all thought it was at least a 91 to 94. I declined to purchase this bottle because of its' low fill, so Mitch at thewinetobuy.com, offered to open it for "kicks" just to see how bad it was. We were all surprised/shocked by how much fruit was left.
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Saturated cork which broke even using an Ah-So, leaving about 1/4 of the cork which I extracted with a Screwpull auger, leaving only one crumb of cork which I fished out of the first pour. Surprisingly dark, vibrant color in the glass, with bricking on the edge. Nose was cedar, leather, earth, dark fruit, perhaps a hint of mint, which could be enjoyed forever (or at least a loooong time). Incredibly soft on the palate with a multi layered fairly long finish. All in all, a great wine and I am glad to have 5 more, which I will consume rather quickly given the cork condition of this one.
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Slight chemical-must note at first, maybe a bit of reduction/sour belgian beer yeast note--very subtle and intriguing; elegant balance in the mouth with a hint sweet tangy tart small berries; fine chalky tannins mostly dropped out. Really lovely aged Bordeaux doing very well. Quite complex compared to it's counterpart, which also showed well. Compared with 1970 Mayacamas Napa Mountain Cab. Renee France vs. CA tasting.
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2016 Wino Weekend - 82 Bordeaux Night! Saturated cork top shoulder fill. Musty nose took 30 minutes to blow off then nice tobacco, leather and spice. Leaner than most of the 82's but solid wine with black and red fruits, tobacco and spice. 91 points
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Impressive 70 Ducru Beaucaillou. Still young with incredible energy, and focus. Notes of sous bois, earth, currant, mint, all framed and perfectly balanced tanin. This bottle could easily go another decade or two. Scored from a cold humid cellar in Laguna Beach.
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Cork in excellent shape, although quite saturated. Clear terracotta color. Very musty nose mostly blew off after an hour and autumnal notes of forest floor and dried berry fruits emerged. This wine really came to life after a 3 hour decant. Beautiful entry with a mouth-filling mid-palate and long cedary finish. Superb fully mature claret.
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White pepper, mature dark fruit, earthy notes. Mature but vibrant showing a slow progression over the course of two hours of air time. Decanted but consumed immediately and over two hours. I've found that these bottles can range from tired and dusty, to forward but elegant, to somewhat young and closed.
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This perfectly preserved bottle, low neck fill, probably recently ex-chateau per K&L when I bought it in 2007, was (almost) as good as John Gilman thinks it is. Still full of life in the complex way of old Bordeaux, not fruity of course, but reminiscent of red earth, cranberry, minerals and tea. Excellent harmony without the excessive acid this vintage can sometimes exhibit. Held up extremely well in the glass for two hours. The plateau of drinkability has no view of the horizon yet, amazing. A wine of contemplation.
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Appealing nose but a subdued palate versus other experiences. Light spice, musty notes, and earth but a more restrained fruit presence versus other bottles I have had.
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RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': This bottle was flown over on the RedEye and it was left upright for only about 3-4 hours. It was in fine form. Cedar, gravel and tobacco notes. Cerebral: elegant, complex and multi-layered. Totally harmonious and balanced. A fine specimen of St Julien.
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Why write TNs when your pals will do it for you, and better than you would?! Thank you, Marc & Phil! :)
My only formal note is that, in both of my experiences with the 1970, the whole package exceeded the sum of all its individual characteristics. A true pleasure to enjoy!
(*score is genuinely my own!)
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Ducru Beaucaillou vertical: Lean and lithe with slightly volatile aromatics, this, like virtually all left bank wines of the 1970 vintage, has simply seen better days. Dry cassis, more oak than cedar on this, background minerality, white flower and violet notes, faint ginger. Drink them yesterday.
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Nose: Gorgeous old claret nose. Black Cherry, Tobacco, Spice and old library books on the nose. Palate:Completely resolved not a sharp edge exists on this silky svelte wine. The 82/86 are body builders by comparison, and may take a long time to shed the structure. This is fine boned and showing mineral, earth, coffee and Red fruit elements in exceptional balance. It is this harmony that makes this such a great experience.
Shows the value of having old wines in Mag that have been well stored.
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The surprise of the evening for me. Dark and red fruits, tobacco, and a light funkiness led to a captivating nose. Leads one to question what other underappreciated vintages may become with time. The palate and finish performed well for the first hour but then began to thin, suggesting that the time for this wine is now.
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In a word magnificent. Opened 2 hours prior. Had to decant through a tea strainer as the cork crumbled. Colour brown rim with a red brick heart. Nose not great, but flavour soft berry fruit with a long finish. Drunk with beef Wellington which matched well. Would buy again if I could find it.
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Old Bordeaux (Uncle Jack's): Absolutely gorgeous nose for about five minutes, with smoky tobacco, rich, powerful, penetrating dark fruit, and lots of earthy loam and mint. Totally resolved, acid poking out, it fades fast. But it was a lovely five minutes.
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surprisingly still feeling not "aged" enough, a bit young in nose and with pretty dark colour. Ripen dark fruit nose and became more obvious with the secondary nose after opening for half hour, with typical tobacco, cedar and hint of earth and leather. On palate, sweet and ripen fruit with smooth plum, very elegant and with long and good ending.
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OJH Party (Racquet Club Chicago): Surprisingly fresh on the nose and palate. Mix of earth, dark fruit, herbs and red fruit. Open, soft and easy in the mouth.
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Again not really showing its age, pretty dark centre with some evolution. Complex nose, quite sweet, tobacco, spices. Great balance on the palate - quite fresh and round, complex and rather gentle, very long, mature. 93-95
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Remarkably youthful, going a bit light on structure but drinking beautifully now, showing fine color, medium depth, lovely sweet fruit and the beginnings of clean tertiary notes. Likely to hold several more years. Base neck, opened and stood upright 3 hours before drinking. My score is probably too low, judging from how quickly this bottle disappeared.
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Drank at Home Nose of dark fruits, earth, tobacco, leather and cedar. Beautiful integrated tannins on the palate with a medium length. A wonderful bottle. Had a couple of glasses with Coravin and when I returned to the bottle (3months later) it had faded quite a lot and was more cloudy, worrying.
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Enjoyed at Joel Robuchon. This bottle was in excellent condition - base neck fill, cork in good nick. Decanted briefly for sediment. Semi-transparent, medium red colour with a little bricking. Nice nose of dark fruits, cedar, tobacco, tealeaf. Elegant and fresh, tannins fully resolved. Fine length. An excellent example of an aged St Julien.
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French Wine Tasting Dinner at Renée's: Renée's: This was pulled as a replacement for the corked '70 Ch. Palmer. Still in good shape, but not up to par with the '70 Mouton. Showed some dark red fruits still lingering with a metalic-mineral character. Notes are sketchy as it was getting quite late!
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Stored in a cold cellar since release. Top shoulder. Cork broke in two - fragile. Decanted. Gentle cedar bouquet. Pale red brown. Fading but not a ghost. Graceful, wonderful complexity, great length. A lovely example of old claret - a claret drinker's claret. Drink soon -a gambler's wine to drink at 50. One of the best 70's but perfect storage is a must to buy now.
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Perfect level, into the neck, bright ruby red colour, powerful nose with lots of red fruits coming through along hints of leather an tobacco. Very mouthfilling, incredibly elegant yet still powerful, with perfectly integrated tannins, great great length, a jewel in a bottle. Enjoyed this amazing wine at Il Luogo di Aimo in Milan with the wonderful suckling pig that is one the restaurant signature dishes.
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Two half bottles bought on release, both looked similar but one cork was junk and fell into the bottle with just a little pressure. That bottle was horrendous, smelled like rotten tomato juice.
Happily the second bottle with an in tact cork was good. The wine was elegant and balanced, but didn't have the complexity nor length of finish of a truly great Bordeaux. Given that it came from a half bottle, though, it's a better performance than I would have expected 40+ years later.
If you can find well stored bottles, or even better magnums, I would recommend this wine.
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I was privileged to enjoy two perfectly stored bottles back-to-back, with short decants. Each was elegant, gracious and rewarding in every way. Distinctly and classically St. Julien on the nose and palate. Black tea, hazelnuts and dried flowers on the nose. No sign of oxidation. Ripe cherry on the palate, with elements of mushroom, sous bois and mild herbs. Silky, drying tannins, perfectly in balance with the impressive acidity. What a treat, one of the top wines I've had from the vintage, not terribly far behind Cheval Blanc.
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Old style claret, for those like me who love this type of wine. Perfect level, low neck. Did not decant, I prefer not to with old bordeaux. Faint ruby going onto brick colour, good mineral earthy nose, some fruit still there. Elegant, classy in the mouth, definetly no longer the powerhouse of its younger days, but went incredibly well with a simple perfect argentinian filet steak. A real pleasure!
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Decent look to bottle, but corked....so down the sink....shame because this is usually wonderful, classy, laid back, aromatic, old style claret, 18 notes over last 25 years, wine always rated between fine and very fine plus, last drunk from magnum in 2010 and rated very fine (18.5/20) though then just behind a sensational bottle of Lynch Bages 70 - both should still be lovely if properly cellared.
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Colour: Cleary matured wine in colour. Brick-red with a bit of brown on the rims. Nose: Perfumed ripe red fruit like red cherry, tobacco, leather and earthy notes. Palate: Well balanced, the tannins are completely integrated. With some time in the glass this wine gets a nice sweet red fruit component. Medium-bodied with not the strongest finish but still nice to drink. Surely on or a bit over its peak.
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Richter Raritäten Degu (Restaurant Farnsburg, Switzerland): This wine stood out as it was somewhat 'fresher' than the others with less concentration in the palat and some more primary fruit on the nose, mostly red cherries with a nearly artificial sweetness. Good but not great
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750. Cork just barely holding out; good fill. Worrying at the start with virtually no fruit and sawed oak. But with twenty minutes in the decanter, this started to open, eventually showing a beautiful perfume with lots of wood spice and a core of mature, ripe fruit. After around 40 years in the bottle, I suppose it just needed to stretch its legs!
Very good, but clearly fading. Enjoyed this with Shep and dad!
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Still has some decent spices and tobacco hints to the bouquet, but the fruit is fading. Medium body and palate not particularly long. Would have been a good wine in its prime, but is fading. A drink now or let it fade away wine.
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Seventh Annual White Truffle Dinner (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Served in flight alongside Ducru 61, 66 and 82. Bottle in good condition with very high shoulder fill. Aromas of forest floor, leather, cigar box and some smoke. Very lean character on the palate with more structure than anything else, this wine was in a distant 4th place in a very good flight.
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Smoke, tobacco, spice, forest floor earth, cassis and ash scents are there, but most of the aromas are secondary, not much fruit remains in the nose. Medium bodied and short, this is well past its prime. Drink up as it's only going to get worse.
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Double-decanted in afternoon. Showing well, rather plush black fruit on palate, a touch of animal, some complex tertiary aromas of cigarbox/tobacco/cedar family. Tangy acids, resolved tannins. B+/A-
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Magnum bottle with mid neck fill. Initially, I was worried when the cork came apart in bits when I pulled out the corkscrew. After some careful pouring, what emerged was a very classic St Julien of such youth and vibrancy it could easily have been 10 years younger. Superb fruit, velvety tannins, all beautifully integrated. Sadly, I have no more of these...
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The generous guest who broght the wine to dinner suggested that we do not need to decant the magnum and we should go straight to tasting it. Alas, what a gorgeous wine! At the first few sips, I notice the body is medium and hte color lightly brownish ruby which was expected given the age. The nose is sumptous with red fruit, lots of berries and a tint of marshmellow. It possesed the special "St Julien" character as all the dinner guests agreed on. The oak is mellow and then the wine suddenly opened up and we tasted a lot of energy. The tannin started to emerge and the wine became super well balanced and a good companion to the chicken served at dinner. Definitely alive and kicking!!!
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A very nice showing on this pristine bottle. Did not require decanting as it was ready to go. There is that classic green Ducru note here that can sometimes be a little much for me but this had plenty of dark red notes that opened up to balance things out nicely. Lots of black tea notes and a little forest floor -very smooth and well integrated tannins. One of the more enjoyable bottles of D-B I have experienced especially SbS with a hunk of grilled tenderloin. Impressive for a 41 year old wine.
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Bottle and fill good, cork solid and came out intact. Another fine aged bordeaux that has plenty of life left. Not decanted (restaurant dinner) and although attractive early on, it improved with time in the glass. Classic St. Julien from one of my favorite chateaux.
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KH's 40th birthday dinner (Bloom/Lily): Deliciously fragrant nose of sweet fruits, vanillin and coffee. Vibrant and full of life. Not surprised to find out later that it's ex-chateau stock.
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Tok Hong's 40th (Infuzi, Biopolis): Lots of positive reviews on CT, but the two bottles we had on the night just did not show well. Vegetables on the nose at first - asparagus, green wood, with some of Ducru's signature flowers and black tea in the background, along with sweet cassis scents underneath. A bit off-putting at first, but it did thankfully open up somewhat, with the green notes subsiding and the flowers and black tea notes coming to the fore - quite Oolong-like here. Palate was still going strong on the attack, with sweet cassis flecked with more green notes. Very nicely resolved too, with plush velvety tannins. Unfortunately, it nosedived after the mid-palate, going hollow quite fast. It filled up just a little with time, with red fruits and haw flakes emerging, but still remained a little empty at the finish. This still tasted very alive I thought, but I was not quite sure where it was going. Pleasantly drinkable, but not great. This was like a Bordeaux beast to the 1970 Tondonia's ravishing Rioja beauty. An unusual experience for a Ducru, which is often the belle at the party. Slightly off bottles maybe?
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Still nose at first which blows away after sitting in the glass. Still shows tightness on the palate. Amazing young. Very green on the nose and it shows even in the palate.
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This was my tied as my WOTN. I drank this first of the reds, and I am glad I did. Only medium bodied with completely absorbed tannins, this wine charms with its complex bouquet and suave yet layered mouthfeel. Beautiful “old library” smell. Classic notes of cigarbox, leather with cherry fruit still sweetening the mid-palate. Lovely. A
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A fantastic, mature Bordeaux. Plenty of fruit and life despite a very low shoulder fill on the bottle. Colour-wise, there was some orange and browning at the edge but the core was still deep ruby red. Some sediment but not too much. The palate was smooth as silk and if anything, this put on weight as the evening wore on. Delicious!
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Perfect magnum - mature, but still years to go, I wish I had more of these...suprised with the amounts of fruith still left. Decanted for 45 min, opened up further through the dinner.
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Dark purple color, not a hint of oxidized orange, eggplant. Fragrant hazelnut nose, dried flowers (like grandma's perfume). This tasted great! Unexpectedly smooth, perfectly structured with great balance and acidity. Easy drinking, we were surprise at how "alive" it tasted, and it paired perfectly with a whole grilled chicken. My 40th birthday present from Eva, best gift ever!
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Classy and poised, showing a tremendous amount of fruit for a forty year old wine, this is ruby red in color with aromas of ripe red cherry, dried thyme, fresh porcini mushrooms, truffles and sous bois. Almost Burgundian in feel, this is medium bodied on the palate, and velvety textured with a frankly sexy mouthfeel, and persistent flavors of chopped mushroom, red fruit, and dried rosemary.
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Lot's of age in color - orange tint. Perfumed nose. Soft middle, tannins aged out, well balanced, still has fruit. Well aged moderately long finish. Decanted. Drink now - really good.
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This bottle, from K&L a few years ago, was in superb condition; Very top shoulder fill, clean label (? too clean, re-release), wet cork which came out intact although tight. Absolutely classic Ducru - which is why some people like it and some don't. Deep ruby robe with only the tiniest hint of orange. Not very expressive aromatically but on the palate it is medium to full bodied, intensely flavored with cedar and spice (cinnamon) and ends with smoke and mouth cleansing acidity so typical of this vintage. K guessed it blind as the '89 LMHB and that was almost how it appeared. Based on this bottle, there is 20+ years of life in perfectly stored examples such as this one. Ducru does not come out to get you; you have to work at it.
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Warm, mature colour, harmonious and classical; cedar and gravel, lovely smooth ripe red fruit, warm spicy oak; on the palate ultra-refined and elegant, sweet fruit, ripe acidity, perfectly harmonious, the most beautiful ripe tannins. A truly perfect bottle. Archetypal Saint-Julien.
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Good structure. Delicate tannins. Subtle fruit, some cherries but not the whole tree. Developed consistently over 45 minutes. Might be a little past its' peak but still excellent.
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Stellar wine. Awful cork, mouldy and soaked through but wine was still base neck. Nose was clean and inviting once the cork finally came out.Beautiful brick colour. 15 minutes decanting and then tasted...so soft and smooth, no harshness; beautiful balance of fruitiness and completely integrated tannins. No staleness or overbearing alcohol that sometimes creeps into wines of this age. Constant for the 90 minutes we took to finish it.
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Beautifully matured second growth Bordeaux. Exquisite deep red colour, with slight quarry tile tinge at the edge. This was the third bottle I have tasted in the last three months since buying from a friend. Impeccable provenance, and I have to say this third bottle was outstanding and better than the earlier two; perhaps it has now settled fully in my cellar. Floral nose with a woody edge. Beautifully integrated wine, with strong dark fruits and neither acid nor tannin to the fore to spoil the pleasure. Drank this with some family members who are not normally fine wine drinkers and they all thought it was a beautiful wine. I think this will keep yet, but I am planning to drink the other 9 bottles in the next 18 months to be on the safe side.
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This bottle, sourced from K&L a few years ago, was in outstanding condition, with a bottom neck level, clean label which did not look decades old, and a firm moist cork which came out easily in one piece. Could this have been a late release? The importer lable gave no hint. In any case, this was an outstanding bottle of '70 Ducru, a wine I first tasted in 1980 and have had dozens of times since. Deep ruby center with orange rim; frangrant, pleasant bouquet of cedar and spice. Medium body, perfect acidity and bright fruit with a clean finish. Very much old Bordeaux style; fully mature of course, and seemingly with many years of life ahead. The only negative was its relative simplicity on both nose and palate, mostly blackcurrant.
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no guesses from me (my wine). Cork broke, it was decanted but a bit cloudy. Nose is pretty nice, earthy forest floor notes with some tobacco. Cassis fruit, resolved tannins. Group got Medoc right away, and Taylor called St Julien early,. B+/A-
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From magnum; the fill was well into the neck, and decanted by the sommelier at Per Se about 30 minutes prior to service. A beautiful ruby-red core, with a hint of amber at the edge. A lovely bouquet, with a "classic" mature Bordeaux character, offering up scents of ripe dark fruits, cedar, a hint of tobacco, and forrest floor. Medium-bodied on the palate, nice fruit, a generous character, and a well delineated finish. A bit more "charm" than most of the '70 Bordeaux that I have tasted -- from my experience, only the Mouton is superior in that regard -- but clearly at its peak, even from a pristine magnum. A heavenly match with both the "Jambonnette of Quail" and "Tenderloin of Marcho Farms Nature Fed Veal"
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Libi's birth celebration dinner at home. We had a bobttle from my birthday (1969 Leroy Vosne Romanee 1er) and this one for the better half's birth year. So young it feels! unbelievable. Red fruit on both nose and palate,balanced, great acidity is holding it alive and will hold it for few more. An ageless wine. drink now-2012, 92 points or a bit more.
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still quite a rich red with only the slightest browning at the rim - wonderful rich bouquet of mature claret - needs time in the glass to bring out a beautifully balanced and ever so delicate wine of impressive length for a wine that is almost forty years old! - lovely - decant - drink soon or keep (but not for more than a couple of years)
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What a classical old Bordeaux from a different era. Medium dark garnet, so just right for age 36. Very intriguing and elusive nose of all secondary elements, such as tobacco, cedar and leather. The acidity was high but gradually moved to the background - or did it just need food to buffer it? Challenging wine; subtle, medium body and finish. Very well preserved (from K&L last year).
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. I decided to use the bottle with the worst fill, about high shoulder. Cork promptly broke. 90% saturated. Hey, not so bad. Not bad at all! Color is nice- a medium-red with only a hint of clear edges, no real browning. Nose of red currants, raspberries, leather. Red color partially transfers to the palate- previous bottles of this I tried have seemed all black fruit, this shows both red fruit and dark berries and cassis. Cedar is the predominant non-fruit odor, but there is tobacco, forest floor, and a little cocoa.
This surprises me as there are still a little bit of tannins unresolved. Not lush, there are good but smooth acids. Good length, concentration. Holds well over a couple hours, a lovely mature Bordeaux. Considering this is the bottle with the worst fill I am very happy with our buy! B+/A-
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Made the mistake of assuming I could decant and then pour, but despite its age it needed a couple of hours. Very slightly brown, cedar, forest floor and a creaminess to the nose, beautiful roundness in the mouth and a finsih that stayed with me after I had gone to bed. I regret only buying two... Makes me wish I could drink only 40 year old bdx.
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Sharp tannins at first but with air began improving. In very fine condition for a 38-year old second growth. Full-bodied with good intensity and richness yet has that lightness of texture that old Bordeaux develops. Lovely flavors of sweet tobacco and graphite with smoky and decaying dark fruits. Finishes complex with dry tannins. Ultimately a wonderful bottle of aged Bordeaux that still has years of life ahead, at least from the cellar at The Inn at Saw Mill farms in Vermont.
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Lovely mellow character of a well aged Bordeaux. Medium garnet but no brown. Immediately upon opening, a beautiful fragrance of dried rose, orange peel and just a hint of cedar annonced that this bottle was alive and well. It's well into its secondary phase where the fruit is no longer bold and fresh but has evolved into something much more elusive and complex. Then the typical 1970 vintage acidity makes its appearance and holds the wine true to its finish. This is the epitome of the anti-fruit bomb style that you either appreciate or find insipid. The older I get, the more I appreciate the senior citizens of the wine world.
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Drank for my 37th birthday. I liked it, but clearly I need some more experience in drinking vintage Bordeaux. I honestly don't know if it was good or not. Shameful.
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Very mature. In the bouquet some liquorice. The taste is still juicy with a good balance between sweetness and acidity. The wine is definitely past its peak and not even a shadow of what it was in 1988. Although the wine is still drinkable and not unpleasant I will not “officially” score it. My score for the moment would be 86. I do not know the history of this bottle, but well kept bottles might be much better.
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Vital ruby colour. Nose somewhat 'muffled'. Distinguished and restrained. Tres Bdx. Good structure and medium weight. Positive evolution in the glass. Very nice (though the rest of the table was less positive..). No formal rating.
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From K&L. Brown at the rim but not faded. Not convinced this bottle was absolutely at its best, but an amazingly subtle, gentle, wine. Still plenty of fruit at the core and very complex cedary notes. After considerable time in the glass became incredibly soft, even drinkable with bits of desert.
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Why? Why? Why only did I buy 2 bottles??? At this price ($121 delivered) one should buy this wine by the case. Brown but not rustic color, fruit present and in abundance for this 37 years old wine. Silky tannins, nose of a champ, long finish. More impresssive than 1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou I had this year.
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This is what I am looking for in aged Bordeaux. The bottle was purchased last year from Premier Cru and was in outstanding condition (they bragged "perfect" in their description); level bottom neck, clean label and capsule, cork very moist and properly firm. There's definitely some brown in the color and the nose is shy at first, but eventually yields cedar of course, but also earth, saddle leather, dried leaves and dried currants. In the mouth, smooth, round, decisive notes of a wine deep into its secondary phase; i.e., no fresh fruit, yet really complex and "confident," as Michael Broadbent might say. Positive finish and not too acidic. The tannins have melted and it's a treat to drink if you're an old wine fanatic.
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I just bought a parcel of this wine from a large collection assembled ex-chateau by K&L, so I was especially interested in re-tasting it. But this was Hugh's bottle, purchased many years ago. I was relieved to find it sound, fine and very interesting. Typical Ducru austerity and it forces the taster to pay attention or otherwise dismiss it as too slight, too sour. But after suitable time breathing the fresh Florida air, it came alive and demonstrated its subtle soil, cedar and cranberry sides, framed by firm acidity which keeps it fresh. The tannins are subdued. Very much alive; complex and subtle. A thinking man's claret.
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Pleasant and interesting but I would say this bottle was tired. A good example of how at this age, bottles can really vary. I've opened 4 of these. Two were superb. One was dead. This one was on its way out. NR.
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Now this was a tremendous surprise in a positive way. Souced from K&L recently and given a 4 hour decant. Although not appreciated in the decanter, once poured into the glass, it displayed a gorgeous floral perfume that I would have pegged as Margaux or Palmer for sure. On the palate, medium weight, medium length, but sweet and seductive for about an hour. Then the perfume wore off and a bit of leather crept in, making the finish slightly dry. I haven't tasted this wine in many years, but this has to be one of the very best showings ever.
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Open this last bottle New Year's Eve at Mille Fleur. We did not decant this wine becasue of its' age afraid that it might fade before we could enjoy it. It started out very tight with a bit of brett on the nose. There was a hint a red/black fruit in the begining with a bit of acidity. We allowed the wine to open in our glasses for sever minutes. This example of Ducru began to soften more fully revelaing blackberry, cassis and a hint of chocolate. After an hour it was velvity, balanced and fully revealed We enjoyed this fabulous wine with medallions of venison and king salmon. A perfect compliment ot both dishes.
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The 1970 Claret Vintage (John G's): Dark red fruits on the nose. A really really nice wine. Big complex red fruits. Still quite young. Good acids. Nice iron and earth.
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Sourced from Sotheby's from the cellar of Earl Spencer. Clean, pure nose with layers of game, damsons, rumtopf, cinnamon and a plummy, red-fruit character. Medium intense palate with fully-integrated velvety tannins and medium acidity. For what it is, a fine example - pure, aged bordeaux but not a blockbuster.
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I split a bottle with Dan at his cost, $62.50 was my portion. Gorgeous color, amber at the edge but otherwise a brilliant garnet. The nose shows cedar with a very high-pitched, almost mint like edge of camphor. With time in the glass a hint of iron creeps in as this starts to come apart. The palate is surprisingly youthful, still showing some structure with sweet cedar but an otherwise somewhat monolithic character. This is a very nice bottle but it also lacks punch and complexity. I would imagine it is drinking past peak at this point, although the bottle in question was in very good shape.
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Had this again last night. This bottle, purchased and stored with the one I enjoyed back in June, was not showing nearly as well. Less body, less fruit, less... well everything. On the downhill slope. NR.
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Superb mature Bordeaux. Elegant, but still vibrant after all these years. Dark brownish red with some amber bricking. Opens with sweet pipe tobacco smoke and cedar. Fantastic things happen in the mouth: black currant, prune, and dried fruit with notes of eucalyptus and tar. But even with these “aged” elements, there is still a youthfulness of sweeter, fresher fruit that emerged about 15 minutes after of decanting and remained for the next 1 1/2 hours. There’s an element of not unpleasant tannins on the finish, but I doubt this wine is going to improve much more. Drink it now while the fruit still leads this parade.
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Lovely rich red colour, great flavour, very muscular wine, chewy, meaty, earthy with hints of tobacco and spices, long on the palate, lots of life ahead.
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Good but advanced color. No aroma at all outdoors at Maxaluna but when I decanted it at home there was a pleasant waft of cedar. Starting to dry out and become astringent. It seems ‘70 Ducru never truly blossomed.
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too long ago to recall details but i would put it among my top 25 tasting experiences for bordeaux. will have the remaining bottle soon and share full details.
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A good bottle. Good color, orange rim. Muted but elegant and correct if slightly short. Silky smooth. No excess acidity. Fading but still attractive. At or a little past peak.
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Hurricane Liquor store bottle, now defunct, so I must have bought this many years ago. Good, not great. Lacks zip and excitement. Maybe drying out. Still, the breed of the Château and the quality of the vintage cannot be totally suppressed.
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Classic Ducru. Medium weight, almost light, but full of juicy sweet fruit. Floral well integrated oak and tannins. Finishes well. Seems at peak now and unlikely to improve. Excellent for sure but not the tremendous depth of the ‘61.
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From Schagrin’s wine shop. Medium garnet, very mature color. Very developed pretty bouquet of cedar and flowers. Medium body, medium depth, easy to drink. Finish is a bit too aggressive and acidic, though. Good match with loin of veal and Madeira sauce.
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An off bottle. Excellent ruby color, barely orange at the rim. Intense aroma of cedar and blackberry. Medium weight and smooth. But spoiled by the acidic finish. Not much tannin. Too bad for this usually reliable wine.
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Tasting of 4 Bordeaux 1970 vintage. dark, red color in the glas, tasted young, rich almost chewy, fairly powerful but simple, long finish with a hint of soft tannins. My #2 of 4, Group tied #3.
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Deep ruby, barely garnet at the rim. Big plummy nose packed with ripe fruit. Sweet. A slight letdown on the palate, though. A little faded, a little soft but nicely balanced.
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With MPL at S&F survey of '70s Claret. Medium-dark ruby. Clear. Nice nose--deep rich fruitiness. Nice on the palate, good gentle fruit. Rich, great body and balance. Excellent wine all around. 5-11-16-8: 90/100.
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From Burdine’s again. Deep red, no purple. Fresh very youthful nose of cedar and oak. Quite spicy. Plenty of tannin. Concentrated . Nicely balanced. A big Ducru with a long future.
With MPL at Singer & Foy tasting of '70 Bordeaux. Very nice medium-dark ruby. Looks very fine. Nose seems closed, but still some toffee-coffee scents. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated, chewy. Still, slightly hard, and not as charming as it probably was when it was younger. 5-10-15-7: 87/100.
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Good color, deep center and tuilé rim. Mature nose of medium complexity. Medium light body yet packed with fruit. Warm finish. Michael Broadbent, who was at the tasting opined “cherry, ripeness on mouth, lovely mid palate, very dry (tannic), copybook claret.”
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I bought this bottle out of the window at Burdine’s department store so not the greatest storage. Medium deep bright color, just beginning to fade at the edge. Looks like an 8-10 year old wine. Good firm nose cedar and spice. Medium weight. Balanced. Real St. Julien class and breed. Moderately tannic finish. Long life ahead.
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Tasted at the pre-sale tasting at Christies. Vanilla in the bouquet as well as good cassis. Very complex and refined. Cassis fruit, liquorice and a lot of other flavours. Minute long aftertaste. This is really great; it beats Las Cases at the moment. (Tasted at the same tasting.)
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It was the very elegant bouquet and sublime balance that made this wine so special; you can smell the cream in the bouquet and it continues in the very pure and concentrated taste. A warning, in future this wine can dry out.
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12/17/2023 - Marc C Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deuxième fois que j'ai la chance de boire Ducru-Beaucaillou 1970, et c'est toujours aussi bon.
Nez puissant sur un mélange de fruits rouges et noirs légèrement compotés, sous-bois, cuir frais, bois précieux, c'est très très joli !
Bouche enveloppante, dense mais avec également beaucoup de fraicheur et d'allant pour aboutir à l'équilibre génial des bordeaux.
Belle finale, avec une pointe animale qui ajoute à la complexité.
Très très beau ! Le niveau bas goulot et le bouchon impeccable ont sans doute bien aidé !
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11/21/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
A charming, classic, medium-bodied, Bordeaux with dried flowers, red currants, red plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, and spice notes that display in the nose and on the soft, refined, elegant, crisp, and vibrant palate. This is not a wine to hold for further aging. But, it is just great for near-term consumption. Drink from 2023-2028.
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7/31/2023 - funderwood10 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Def on decline but still delicious. After 1 hr of air, dark berries, moldy wood and mushrooms, a bit of stone. It’s resolute, a “castle”
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7/22/2023 - boillatm Likes this wine: 89 Points
Mid-shoulder. Opened a bit longer before serving than my last bottle. Very dark crimson color belying the wine's age. The palate was, however, disappointing as the wine felt tired and didn't give much. Two more bottles, I won't wait that long before opening them.
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7/13/2023 - cos65 Likes this wine: 96 Points
From a cool cellar purchased on release
Crystal clear ruby garbet with a bit of sediment
Fairly rich black cherry flavors with some hints of violets and iodine. This particular bottle was was in perfect shape. Lovely
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7/3/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Suprisingly fresh and lively for the vintage. Better than the 70 Mouton magnum on the side. 91-92
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5/2/2023 - Bullethead wrote: flawed
Sucken cork
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3/26/2023 - G SQUARED Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Possible storage issue but more likely just a poor performer in a relatively poor vintage.
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2/10/2023 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
This is a very well preserved bottle from K&L with joint neck ullage and excellent color, albeit brown at the meniscus. It’s Ducru and it’s old so there's more leather and raisin than bright fruit. Slightly elevated acidity but by no means spoiled. Medium weight and concentration. Very good, especially for age but younger Ducru is more enjoyable.
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1/21/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote: 92 Points
1970 Themed Bordeaux Dinner: Medium shoulder fill. This pours light garnet in the glass with medium bricking. The nose is of pencil shavings, tobacco, dried red cherry, peonies, gravel, celery seed and black currants. The palate enters on bright acidity with lovely tobacco character. Low tannin and medium acid. The finish is medium plus in length and closes nicely replaying much of the nose. All in all this was another bottle that was just a touch behind expectations, but by the same token was perfectly serviceable.
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1/1/2023 - Leukeran wrote: flawed
Starting to turn. Drinkable, but very tired.
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12/26/2022 - stefad Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bouteille achetée automne 2022 aux enchères. Niveau bas goulot, capsule et étiquette OK.
Ouverte et servie de suite. Bouchon très imbibé mais venu entier avec The Durand.
Robe tuilée, frange aqueuse, densité moyenne, plus proche d'un Bourgogne que d'un Bordeaux.
Nez sur les arômes tertiaires, musc, cuir et aussi cèdre et menthol. En bouche, le vin est suave, les tannins sont totalement intégrés et offre encore de belles sensations gustatives.
Un vin à boire bien sûr mais qui reste toujours intéressant.
Côté assiette : filets de palombes / Tajarin (pâtes piémontaises aux œufs), sauce crémeuse aux cèpes et noisettes.
92+/100
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10/8/2022 - phynes wrote: 94 Points
Drank the 1970 ducru beaucaillou, montrose and la clotte to celebrate the fact that the number of people around the table were born in 1970 but missed out on having a 50th party due to Covid - I know, a first world problem! The wines were all thoroughly enjoyable despite their age. The Ducru (94 pts) just edged it ahead of Montrose (93 pts) and La Clotte (91 pts). A vintage that the can still offer pleasure if the wines are stored well.
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7/24/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 88 Points
Fading; coarse; light faint nose; light blackberry.
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7/23/2022 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pnp. Was worried about this bottle as the cork had slipped almost entirely into the bottle, and as I cut the capsule the cork fell completely inside. However it seemed to have sealed the wine until the very end as this 70 is showing really well and much better than a bottle 4 years ago.
Garnet with just slight bricking towards the rim.Beautifully integrated with fine wood spices, tobacco and some iron and earth around a still medium bodied fruit core. Much more weight here compared to an also very pretty 66 Ducru a few days ago. Not particularly long or complex but a complete and satisfying mature Bdx experience
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6/28/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rubber and earth; sweet blackberry; structured; long and balanced; smooth sweet finish.
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5/23/2022 - Marc C Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nécessite une bonne aération pour s'exprimer.
Le nez est puissant, complexe sur des notes de poivron rouge fumé, de bois précieux, épices (poivre), fruits noirs. Superbe !
La bouche est encore plus marquante : un mélange incroyable de puissance et d'élégance aristocratique avec un grain parfaitement soyeux.
Quelle présence ! l'archétype du bordeaux à maturité !
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4/3/2022 - boillatm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Mid-shoulder. The cork disintegrated upon opening. At first almost overwhelming barnyard notes but these dissipated after around 20 minutes in the glass. After that we got to enjoy a good if not great mature bordeaux. I still have three bottles and will allow for 30-60 minutes between opening and tasting.
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10/16/2021 - paulst Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sweet earthy nose; blackberry and earth; balance; structured; nice coarse finish.
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10/8/2021 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earth, rubber and blackberry; tannic support; length and complexity; solid finish.
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9/9/2021 - Nicephoras wrote:
In terrific shape, this was textbook old Bordeaux - cedar/tobacco for days. Vastly better than the 75 Latour next to it, though I thought that was an off bottle (unless old socks is a common Bordeaux descriptor). That said, this was ultimately more "proper" than it was especially exciting, but an excellent drink nevertheless. Plenty of fruit left here - I think this has years to go.
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7/23/2021 - ccn wrote: 92 Points
From magnum. Tight at first, opened up quickly after decanting over 1-2 hours, then faded somewhat beyond that. A subtle wine on tertiary aromas -- not about power here. Not quite as good as the last bottle but still very nice.
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3/11/2021 - englishman's claret wrote: 94 Points
Another superb bottle - fresh red fruit, cedar, ginger, malt, and loam, cigar smoke emerging with a bit of air. Vibrant flavor with integrated tannin.
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2/14/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
I thought this bottle, sourced years ago from K&L, must have been recorked. The label and capsule were mint, the level very top shoulder, the cork moist and very firm, the color showing just a bit of orange and brown. Yet there was no indication on label or cork that it was. The wine was archetypical Ducru Beaucaillou, austere tart red cherry, no oak apparent, spicy, challenging and severe. But if you can appreciate the style, it’s quite remarkable and rewarding. Old but by no means tired.
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2/7/2021 - joseduca Likes this wine: 92 Points
unbelievable effort from Ducru, the wine doesn't age, like TB12 on this SuperBowl Sunday. Cork in great shape, immaculate bottle from the cellar, this bordeaux can last another 10-15 years and keep its magnificence.
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1/25/2021 - hargy Likes this wine: 91 Points
what an extraordinary wine and so youthful although it is starting to fade and lose its length
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11/15/2020 - shifter Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decant to remove sediment. Classic Ducru bouquet right out of the bottle. Followed over 3+ hours. Lovely mouthfeel and tannins as to be expected after 50 years. This had everything you would want and was in wonderful shape, but is a bit greener than the '61 I had a few weeks ago. Wonderful experience, but a notch below the '61 and 2000.
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10/26/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Followed for a few hours in the decanter, this magnum was very good but perhaps a "70th percentile" example of 70 Ducru-Beaucaillou. A wall of currant, slightly taciturn in the mold of the 1959, with warm cedar, fresh earth, and baking spices. Slightly gingery palate, warm and inviting. Fullish in the mouth.
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10/21/2020 - Blind Taste wrote: 94 Points
Superb elegant mature well balanced
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9/6/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
A perfect example of a classic styled Bordeaux. As rustic as it is charming, with a great cedar, tobacco, wet earth and red berry nose, with a finish that wants to be elegant, but cant get there, and offers rusticity in the tannins, with some greeness, and yet, a lot of charm.
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8/30/2020 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
Light red, funky upon opening, lovely nose after 30min, old cupboard, still a decent body, faded after 2.5 hours, drink up, not as good as the bottle earlier this year
92
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7/18/2020 - tzelmer wrote: 93 Points
Auction bottle. Cork 90% wet but sound. Color is light, as expected but not as brick-edged as I thought it might be. Immediate nose of cedar, leather, and subtle blackberry. Palate is drying out, but echoes the nose, plus still some refined tannin. This was still fresh and fantastic. Not as fresh or sound as a 70 Beausejour Duffau but great in its own way.
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2/18/2020 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Dinner at Margeaux Brasserie (Chicago, IL): These old Ducrus always pick up notes that are evocative of TCA; they generally aren't corked, but they're definitely pretty dirty and close to it. This was showing its age, and not too well, with some iron oxide flavours on the back end. A little charmless and hard, kind of like Gruaud Larose, to be honest. The fruit is subtle, and if you aren't really looking for it, it's not there. Frankly, just not the kind of old Bordeaux I like.
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2/1/2020 - winecoffee wrote: 94 Points
Amazing bottle. Nose was vintage acidic with dampened chocolate. Felt like a slow stroll through a damp forest with mad galloping horse coming towards you! The front part of the palate is subdued chocolate. The backend finishes with an intense acidity with notes of leather, tobacco, tar, and blackberry.
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1/27/2020 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still dark, excellent bottle, mature, iodine, truffles, seaweed, still holding everything together, lovely, best of the 3 1970s, Duhart & Canon
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11/5/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Obituary: 1970 Bordeaux: I’ve had this wine many times since it was the first “old” Bordeaux I drank when it was ten or twelve. It has survived the decades since quite well and is fairly consistent too. It has that cedary mahogany polished leather aroma that old Bordeaux fanatics seek. This particular bottle was slightly below average for ‘70 Ducru since the grip and intensity was fading. Pleasant enough though.
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8/16/2019 - jkvedar wrote: 92 Points
Focused. Maybe a bit on the downside but an exciting experience.
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7/24/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Super Seconds and the Like (Capitalle Grille, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color, 7mm transitional margin. PNP, drank a glass over an hour plus. From a series of ’55, ’70, ’89. And ’95 Ducru.
This was a wow, drinking great. Dense and full bodied, very silky on the palate, graphite, dark fruits that are quite lively, earth and minerality here with a long finish. Excellent. 94+ to 95pts.
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7/24/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
And yet another great Ducru from our recent Capital Grill BDX dinner. This was opened on the heels of the '55 when the '55 started out suspect for a very short period of time. My dad was a retailer in 60s/70s/80s/90s and I remember distributors hawking the 1970 BDX vintage as the 2nd coming of '61. My dad bought and sold quite a bit of it. Tasting this excellent '70 was a lot of fun in that context and this one has really lived up the release hype from a vintage that has since been looked upon less favorably. I believe this '70 came from the same local cellar sell off as the '55 and some other gems we've enjoyed over the past few years thanks to Siggy. Tonight it wasn't my top pick as the '55 Ducru along with the '83 Montrose were still my favorites but others at the table felt this was the best wine that night. Like the '55 this was fully resolved, ubber silky and very complex. A real treat to stumble onto a 1970 that is as outstanding as we hoped when dad sold these in the early 70s in his store.
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5/5/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: 95 Points
Ducru Beaucaillou - 90 year Retrospective (Boston Harbor Hotel): The only reason this did not land in the top three tonight was that the 34 and the final flight were so extraordinary. Silky black fruit of blackberry, currant and cassis and wrapped with loamy earth, sweet sandalwood and ginger spice. Powerful yet giving from magnum, and focused in by restrained balance.
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5/5/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 95 Points
90 years of Ducru Beaucaillou: Remarkably consistent profile to another magnum a few years ago, but this time much more full of life. Of course, the provenance here is excellent. This base neck magnum decanted 2 hours shows a very sandalwood-heavy, cedary, gingery nose still with plenty of fine-boned blackcurrant. Lots of presence and impact. Excellent. I wouldn't hold onto these for ages, but it's a great time now.
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3/16/2019 - ccn wrote: 93 Points
Outstanding. Both glad we decanted and glad we tasted at every stage. Very reticent at first, successively showing several stages of evolution across 3 hours. Very pretty berry notes with some secondaries and good balance. Built over several hours to show a bigger (but never big) body and complexity.
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10/30/2018 - Beachfan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rating for the first 40 minutes, mature yet fresh
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10/11/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
For years the ‘70 Ducru seemed inconsistent even allowing for age, but lately it seems to have stabilized at a very nice level. Never one to flaunt much of a bouquet, but like this well preserved ex-Château 2007 bottle from K&L, it achieves a pleasant balance, avoiding the excess acidity that plagues so many ‘70 Bordeaux in the winter of their lives. The best part of this Ducru is its wonderful complexity of savory roasted plum, old wood and gentle smoke. The texture is pleasing as well. Especially impressive is its evolution over a couple of hours so that each sip revealed extra nuances. Vive Ducru.
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9/4/2018 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
I continue to be impressed by this wine. It seems stubborn to the point of indestructibility. The last time I drank one of these was two years ago. And it hasn't really moved at all. The fruit remains vibrant, almost even fresh except for the dignified old leather aromas that would greet you when you climb into your granddad's gullwing mercedes. (I'm just imagining, as neither of my granddads could have afforded such a fine car.) Each sip and swirl was quiet vinous pleasure down to the last. I try not to be attached to possessions, but still, I can't help being pleased at having a few more bottles of this beautiful Ducru.
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7/21/2018 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ducru Mini-Vertical (3030 Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): DrinkBordeaux’s bottle. A excellent bottle of 1970 Ducru, a wine with considerable bottle variation, even for its age. Sometimes it’s hard and bitter. Not this time. Tender for Ducru. Mellow. Intense finish. Lovely cinnamon fragrance for the first few minutes. Finally turned a bit coarse after 2 hours and a hint of rubber intruded. Very enjoyable up to then.
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7/1/2018 - gcarl wrote: 94 Points
Improved progressively over 60+ minutes after decanting. Impreesions similar to those of my previous tastings since 11/4/16
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3/16/2018 - pavel_p wrote:
Not the best bottle with a high shoulder fill. Completely soaked cork. Opened and tried a sip. Closed on the nose, some medicinal and oxidative notes on the palate. Put open bottle in fridge and tried an hour later with not much change, so thought about pouring out, but in the end put bottle back in fridge. 18 hours later, the wine in an open bottle has improved a bit. Herbal and medicinal notes, some cedar and a touch of red fruit. Fine tannins. Good medium length. Would rate around 87-88 but bottles in good condition certainly better
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1/13/2018 - Aravind Asok wrote:
When I took the capsule off, the cork was depressed about 1/4 inch, and the space between the cork and the capsule was filled with some seepage...not an auspicious start. Got the cork off in 1 piece with the help of a durand, and it was completely soaked through.
Nevertheless, this wine was in an excellent place. After about 10 minutes, it was just singing old Bordeaux. Soft cedar and berries, with leather and a touch of spice on the nose. Still showed some structure on the palate, with good acidity. Better than the '75 I had a few months ago.
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1/7/2018 - EMichels wrote: 90 Points
(Old note - tasting date not accurate) Nicely resolved - a bit of cider; Spice; Good length
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10/30/2017 - gcarl wrote: 95 Points
P&P at party. Very crumbly cork, but all extracted OK. Impressions the same as mine from 8/28/17.
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8/28/2017 - gcarl wrote: 95 Points
High shoulder fill, very wet, crumbling cork. decanted thru filter. Noticeable bricking but pleasant nose during pour. Fruit became more prominent after 30+ minutes and I would never have guessed that I was drinking a 47 year old Bordeaux. Classic old world 12%ABV. My note from 5/04/17 mirror this experience. I will probably drink my last 2 bottles sooner rather than later since they have similar fill levels.
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7/17/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Solid example of classic, old school, Saint Julien, with its nose of cedar, tobacco, wet forest floor, spice box and red berries. Rustic, but charming, the medium bodied wine is more on the secondary side of life. No decanting needed here, just pop and pour.
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6/18/2017 - LorenzoIlMagnifico Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft, light Bordeau. While there is a little tannin left, this is a wonderful, mature wine. A bit of the dusky patina that comes from age. Lighter than wine from Peauillac for example. This is characteristic of St. Juliens.
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5/4/2017 - gcarl wrote: 95 Points
High shoulder fill, Saturated cork which broke up while using an Ah-So (I might have benefited by having an air/gas injection device to pressure force the cork out of the bottle. Dark, bright color in the glass, with bricking on the edge. Nose was compelling/delightful cedar, leather, earth, dark fruit, perhaps a hint of mint, which could be enjoyed forever . Incredibly soft on the palate with a multi layered fairly long finish. All in all, a great wine and I am glad to have 3 more.
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3/26/2017 - hargy Likes this wine: 94 Points
simply outstanding wine with still a full colour and a lovely gentle bouquet - delicious!!
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3/11/2017 - ljl Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dried out crumbling cork. Slightly garnet. Sweet cherry with woody nose. Sweet cherry, blackberry and red plum with some cedar. Forty seven years and still great.
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3/10/2017 - odds Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had it along side the '85 Ducru as a part of a small lineup of old Bordeaux with good aging (imho, ymmv). Lots of secondary tastes for the older vintage. Dark red brick color. Earthy from nose and palate. Leather, ceder on palate. Peppery. Lots of peppers. The fruit is certainly still there. Medium plus on the finish. Not as much fruit as the '85 (that was somewhat more purple red and certainly m,ore fruit).
In good storage, it is ready for drinking but will not fade anytime soon. It was (to date, the last) in my storage, but I may pursue finding few more in good storage conditions.
94+ (I would have given it 95, but I could be biased with wine arriving from my storage, hence, only 94)
Comparative note: The '70 and '85 Ducru were very different. Better? no, different. It is a matter of personal preferences. If you would like more peppers and spices on the palate, go with the '70. If you like to have more of the fruit on the palate, go with the '85.
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3/1/2017 - ESTEELE90 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pop and pour. Fully mature with bricking to the core. Nose and palate were singing with tart red cherries, decaying floral notes, five spice, and cedar. Mid-palate was in perfect harmony with light and chewy red fruits cradled between mouth-watering acidity and sweet, barely there tannins. Finish was lengthy and complex. This was a great bottle to be sure!
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2/25/2017 - fred o. Likes this wine:
still light/fresh. Subtle, earthy with allspice/baking spices, juicy and good acidity still
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1/31/2017 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
Elegant and ligher wine, with more graphite and energy than the other St Julien 1970s served alongside. Surprisingly no cassis. Others at the table liked this more than me, but I’ve not been a big fan of older Ducru's. 92-93pts
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1/21/2017 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Base neck fill, bottle in very good condition for a 1970.
Tasted blind as a ringer in a flight with 10 Cabernet from California, from 1960s and 1970s. I ranked this 2nd of 11, but it did not stand out particularly as a Bordeaux. Although with Ducru Beaucaillou's more fruity profile compared to other Left Bank ones, that may not be surprising.
The nose started with notes of old oak, sandalwood, and smoke, but then elegant red cherry and strawberry elements emerged, along with complexity added by cigar and cedar. Over time dried red cherry, cigar, and cedar dominated. The wine had a certain austerity, characteristic of Bordeaux, but many other wines in the flight (that included two Inglenooks, two BV Georges Latours, a Dehlinger, and a Charles Krug) had similar personalities.
The palate was nicely complex with red fruit, cigar, and oak. The biggest nit on this wine might have been that it was still surprising tannic. While the structure was nice, I would have hoped for a more smooth finish.
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1/19/2017 - Zhart wrote: 93 Points
Restaurant purchase with ~15 minute decant. Leathery, mushroom nose at first. Nose drastically changed over the first 15 minutes. Surprising amount of fruit still left. Fruit was mostly very dark and overripe. Quite a bit of earthy forest floor. Great wine that evolved over 2 hours. Decanting not needed.
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1/2/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: 89 Points
Weak and thin. No obvious flaws, just flat. Puzzling variability with this wine. 88-
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12/31/2016 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
21st of 24, decanted 60 minutes, wet cork, level top shoulder, just beginning to lighten and fade, but still retaining beautiful balance, structure and fruit (albeit diminished) of the vintage, just off normal very fine rating which I suspect well cellared magnums would still merit.....not dissimilar flavour profile to 98 on same night.
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12/29/2016 - LorenzoIlMagnifico Likes this wine: 92 Points
Glorius wine. aged with delicate taste. A very small amount of tannin left. Acidity low but balanced with flavors. Soft and supple. This wine was a treat to drink.
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12/11/2016 - gcarl wrote: 94 Points
Same as my notes of 11/16. Also opened a '94 from Ducru-Beaucaillou.
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11/25/2016 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
I'm so happy to have found a few more bottles of this wine. Top shoulder fill, but there were no problems. The wine, given a few minutes to breathe, was sturdy and well built. The fruit and tannin were nicely integrated into a fulsome, mellow wine that was enjoyable from the first glass, all the way to the last. And given the gentleness of the alcohol, it did not take Mrs L and I very long to get there.
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11/16/2016 - gcarl wrote: 94 Points
Impressions were essentially the same as my 11/4/16 notes. Slightly lower fill level: Mid shoulder, wine shared with those hosting a private tasting event at a large vendor with numerous distributors present.
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11/15/2016 - gcarl wrote: 92 Points
Anticipated to be flawed because fill level was in the low shoulder, but after decanting (broken/crumbling cork) and swirling for several minutes, the reduction odor dissipated and was enjoyed by several Bordeaux lovers who all thought it was at least a 91 to 94. I declined to purchase this bottle because of its' low fill, so Mitch at thewinetobuy.com, offered to open it for "kicks" just to see how bad it was. We were all surprised/shocked by how much fruit was left.
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11/4/2016 - gcarl wrote: 95 Points
Saturated cork which broke even using an Ah-So, leaving about 1/4 of the cork which I extracted with a Screwpull auger, leaving only one crumb of cork which I fished out of the first pour. Surprisingly dark, vibrant color in the glass, with bricking on the edge. Nose was cedar, leather, earth, dark fruit, perhaps a hint of mint, which could be enjoyed forever (or at least a loooong time). Incredibly soft on the palate with a multi layered fairly long finish. All in all, a great wine and I am glad to have 5 more, which I will consume rather quickly given the cork condition of this one.
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10/22/2016 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Slight chemical-must note at first, maybe a bit of reduction/sour belgian beer yeast note--very subtle and intriguing; elegant balance in the mouth with a hint sweet tangy tart small berries; fine chalky tannins mostly dropped out. Really lovely aged Bordeaux doing very well. Quite complex compared to it's counterpart, which also showed well.
Compared with 1970 Mayacamas Napa Mountain Cab. Renee France vs. CA tasting.
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10/1/2016 - sastewart wrote: 91 Points
2016 Wino Weekend - 82 Bordeaux Night! Saturated cork top shoulder fill. Musty nose took 30 minutes to blow off then nice tobacco, leather and spice. Leaner than most of the 82's but solid wine with black and red fruits, tobacco and spice. 91 points
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1/23/2016 - GKOSLOSKY Likes this wine: 96 Points
Impressive 70 Ducru Beaucaillou. Still young with incredible energy, and focus. Notes of sous bois, earth, currant, mint, all framed and perfectly balanced tanin. This bottle could easily go another decade or two. Scored from a cold humid cellar in Laguna Beach.
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1/22/2016 - hkbob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cork in excellent shape, although quite saturated. Clear terracotta color. Very musty nose mostly blew off after an hour and autumnal notes of forest floor and dried berry fruits emerged. This wine really came to life after a 3 hour decant. Beautiful entry with a mouth-filling mid-palate and long cedary finish. Superb fully mature claret.
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1/22/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
White pepper, mature dark fruit, earthy notes. Mature but vibrant showing a slow progression over the course of two hours of air time. Decanted but consumed immediately and over two hours. I've found that these bottles can range from tired and dusty, to forward but elegant, to somewhat young and closed.
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1/6/2016 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
This perfectly preserved bottle, low neck fill, probably recently ex-chateau per K&L when I bought it in 2007, was (almost) as good as John Gilman thinks it is. Still full of life in the complex way of old Bordeaux, not fruity of course, but reminiscent of red earth, cranberry, minerals and tea. Excellent harmony without the excessive acid this vintage can sometimes exhibit. Held up extremely well in the glass for two hours. The plateau of drinkability has no view of the horizon yet, amazing. A wine of contemplation.
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12/7/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
Appealing nose but a subdued palate versus other experiences. Light spice, musty notes, and earth but a more restrained fruit presence versus other bottles I have had.
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11/24/2015 - MEKWINE Likes this wine: 95 Points
RSJ 'IAN A's Greatest hits of the 1970s': This bottle was flown over on the RedEye and it was left upright for only about 3-4 hours. It was in fine form. Cedar, gravel and tobacco notes. Cerebral: elegant, complex and multi-layered. Totally harmonious and balanced. A fine specimen of St Julien.
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9/27/2015 - nortonnose wrote: 94 Points
Why write TNs when your pals will do it for you, and better than you would?! Thank you, Marc & Phil! :)
My only formal note is that, in both of my experiences with the 1970, the whole package exceeded the sum of all its individual characteristics. A true pleasure to enjoy!
(*score is genuinely my own!)
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9/27/2015 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Ducru Beaucaillou vertical: Lean and lithe with slightly volatile aromatics, this, like virtually all left bank wines of the 1970 vintage, has simply seen better days. Dry cassis, more oak than cedar on this, background minerality, white flower and violet notes, faint ginger. Drink them yesterday.
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9/27/2015 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Ducru Vertical with Boston Tasting Group (Brownstone Garden): Served from a pristine Magnum. Red robe with little bricking here, just a clear cherry red edge when examined.
Nose: Gorgeous old claret nose. Black Cherry, Tobacco, Spice and old library books on the nose. Palate:Completely resolved not a sharp edge exists on this silky svelte wine. The 82/86 are body builders by comparison, and may take a long time to shed the structure. This is fine boned and showing mineral, earth, coffee and Red fruit elements in exceptional balance. It is this harmony that makes this such a great experience.
Shows the value of having old wines in Mag that have been well stored.
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5/23/2015 - RayOB wrote: 90 Points
Drank in London
Not as good as a previous bottle due to the fill level. Slightly faded. As they say "it all depends on the bottle"
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2/19/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
The surprise of the evening for me. Dark and red fruits, tobacco, and a light funkiness led to a captivating nose. Leads one to question what other underappreciated vintages may become with time. The palate and finish performed well for the first hour but then began to thin, suggesting that the time for this wine is now.
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2/14/2015 - Lord Rayas wrote: 88 Points
didn't hold up well. faded rather quickly. drink up.
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2/14/2015 - Jonny616 Likes this wine: 95 Points
In a word magnificent. Opened 2 hours prior. Had to decant through a tea strainer as the cork crumbled. Colour brown rim with a red brick heart. Nose not great, but flavour soft berry fruit with a long finish. Drunk with beef Wellington which matched well. Would buy again if I could find it.
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1/27/2015 - mwanasheria wrote: 93 Points
A spectacular bettle of Ducru. Fully mature with lots of energy, elegant, silky and long. Notes of earth, coffee, herbs.
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10/18/2014 - coremill wrote: 89 Points
Old Bordeaux (Uncle Jack's): Absolutely gorgeous nose for about five minutes, with smoky tobacco, rich, powerful, penetrating dark fruit, and lots of earthy loam and mint. Totally resolved, acid poking out, it fades fast. But it was a lovely five minutes.
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9/26/2014 - Knfkwan wrote: 94 Points
surprisingly still feeling not "aged" enough, a bit young in nose and with pretty dark colour. Ripen dark fruit nose and became more obvious with the secondary nose after opening for half hour, with typical tobacco, cedar and hint of earth and leather. On palate, sweet and ripen fruit with smooth plum, very elegant and with long and good ending.
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9/14/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
OJH Party (Racquet Club Chicago): Surprisingly fresh on the nose and palate. Mix of earth, dark fruit, herbs and red fruit. Open, soft and easy in the mouth.
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9/5/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Again not really showing its age, pretty dark centre with some evolution. Complex nose, quite sweet, tobacco, spices. Great balance on the palate - quite fresh and round, complex and rather gentle, very long, mature. 93-95
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8/26/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
Remarkably youthful, going a bit light on structure but drinking beautifully now, showing fine color, medium depth, lovely sweet fruit and the beginnings of clean tertiary notes. Likely to hold several more years. Base neck, opened and stood upright 3 hours before drinking. My score is probably too low, judging from how quickly this bottle disappeared.
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7/11/2014 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank at Home
Nose of dark fruits, earth, tobacco, leather and cedar. Beautiful integrated tannins on the palate with a medium length. A wonderful bottle.
Had a couple of glasses with Coravin and when I returned to the bottle (3months later) it had faded quite a lot and was more cloudy, worrying.
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6/4/2014 - jkuanl Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed at Joel Robuchon. This bottle was in excellent condition - base neck fill, cork in good nick. Decanted briefly for sediment. Semi-transparent, medium red colour with a little bricking. Nice nose of dark fruits, cedar, tobacco, tealeaf. Elegant and fresh, tannins fully resolved. Fine length. An excellent example of an aged St Julien.
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4/18/2014 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
French Wine Tasting Dinner at Renée's: Renée's: This was pulled as a replacement for the corked '70 Ch. Palmer. Still in good shape, but not up to par with the '70 Mouton. Showed some dark red fruits still lingering with a metalic-mineral character. Notes are sketchy as it was getting quite late!
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12/23/2013 - Thoughtful Likes this wine: 96 Points
Stored in a cold cellar since release. Top shoulder. Cork broke in two - fragile. Decanted. Gentle cedar bouquet. Pale red brown. Fading but not a ghost. Graceful, wonderful complexity, great length. A lovely example of old claret - a claret drinker's claret. Drink soon -a gambler's wine to drink at 50. One of the best 70's but perfect storage is a must to buy now.
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12/20/2013 - chevalblanc1959 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Perfect level, into the neck, bright ruby red colour, powerful nose with lots of red fruits coming through along hints of leather an tobacco. Very mouthfilling, incredibly elegant yet still powerful, with perfectly integrated tannins, great great length, a jewel in a bottle.
Enjoyed this amazing wine at Il Luogo di Aimo in Milan with the wonderful suckling pig that is one the restaurant signature dishes.
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11/14/2013 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Two half bottles bought on release, both looked similar but one cork was junk and fell into the bottle with just a little pressure. That bottle was horrendous, smelled like rotten tomato juice.
Happily the second bottle with an in tact cork was good. The wine was elegant and balanced, but didn't have the complexity nor length of finish of a truly great Bordeaux. Given that it came from a half bottle, though, it's a better performance than I would have expected 40+ years later.
If you can find well stored bottles, or even better magnums, I would recommend this wine.
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11/10/2013 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
I was privileged to enjoy two perfectly stored bottles back-to-back, with short decants. Each was elegant, gracious and rewarding in every way. Distinctly and classically St. Julien on the nose and palate. Black tea, hazelnuts and dried flowers on the nose. No sign of oxidation. Ripe cherry on the palate, with elements of mushroom, sous bois and mild herbs. Silky, drying tannins, perfectly in balance with the impressive acidity. What a treat, one of the top wines I've had from the vintage, not terribly far behind Cheval Blanc.
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10/9/2013 - chevalblanc1959 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Old style claret, for those like me who love this type of wine. Perfect level, low neck. Did not decant, I prefer not to with old bordeaux. Faint ruby going onto brick colour, good mineral earthy nose, some fruit still there. Elegant, classy in the mouth, definetly no longer the powerhouse of its younger days, but went incredibly well with a simple perfect argentinian filet steak. A real pleasure!
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7/29/2013 - liber wrote: flawed
Decent look to bottle, but corked....so down the sink....shame because this is usually wonderful, classy, laid back, aromatic, old style claret, 18 notes over last 25 years, wine always rated between fine and very fine plus, last drunk from magnum in 2010 and rated very fine (18.5/20) though then just behind a sensational bottle of Lynch Bages 70 - both should still be lovely if properly cellared.
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6/28/2013 - m_arcon wrote: 92 Points
Colour: Cleary matured wine in colour. Brick-red with a bit of brown on the rims.
Nose: Perfumed ripe red fruit like red cherry, tobacco, leather and earthy notes.
Palate: Well balanced, the tannins are completely integrated. With some time in the glass this wine gets a nice sweet red fruit component. Medium-bodied with not the strongest finish but still nice to drink. Surely on or a bit over its peak.
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5/26/2013 - G_H Likes this wine: 88 Points
Richter Raritäten Degu (Restaurant Farnsburg, Switzerland): This wine stood out as it was somewhat 'fresher' than the others with less concentration in the palat and some more primary fruit on the nose, mostly red cherries with a nearly artificial sweetness. Good but not great
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12/24/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 91 Points
750. Cork just barely holding out; good fill. Worrying at the start with virtually no fruit and sawed oak. But with twenty minutes in the decanter, this started to open, eventually showing a beautiful perfume with lots of wood spice and a core of mature, ripe fruit. After around 40 years in the bottle, I suppose it just needed to stretch its legs!
Very good, but clearly fading. Enjoyed this with Shep and dad!
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12/6/2012 - vindictive wrote:
very good again. Fully mature, but still many fine years ahead. Classic St. Julien claret.
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12/1/2012 - Blake Brown wrote: 79 Points
dried black and blue fruit notes, with a tannic finish.
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8/26/2012 - sdr wrote: flawed
Great condition, from Premier Cru many years ago, VTS level, excellent color. But spoiled by excess VA.
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7/12/2012 - dicehk wrote: 87 Points
Still has some decent spices and tobacco hints to the bouquet, but the fruit is fading. Medium body and palate not particularly long. Would have been a good wine in its prime, but is fading. A drink now or let it fade away wine.
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7/7/2012 - Les Clos wrote: 94 Points
Elegantie mooie fles gerijpt iets maggie in de geur maar ook nog fris in de smaak lengte
vulling en fluwelig zacht genoten prachtfles
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12/2/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Seventh Annual White Truffle Dinner (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Served in flight alongside Ducru 61, 66 and 82. Bottle in good condition with very high shoulder fill. Aromas of forest floor, leather, cigar box and some smoke. Very lean character on the palate with more structure than anything else, this wine was in a distant 4th place in a very good flight.
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11/26/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 85 Points
Smoke, tobacco, spice, forest floor earth, cassis and ash scents are there, but most of the aromas are secondary, not much fruit remains in the nose. Medium bodied and short, this is well past its prime. Drink up as it's only going to get worse.
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11/11/2011 - DaleW wrote:
Double-decanted in afternoon. Showing well, rather plush black fruit on palate, a touch of animal, some complex tertiary aromas of cigarbox/tobacco/cedar family. Tangy acids, resolved tannins. B+/A-
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10/23/2011 - cooberp wrote: 88 Points
Past peak. Plenty of tobacco and some intoxicating secondary aromas--I somehow get a brandyish note--but the fruit is starting to fade.
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9/24/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Red berries, lovely flavor; fruit, short finish. 90. Fading.
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8/22/2011 - ilee wrote: 94 Points
Magnum bottle with mid neck fill. Initially, I was worried when the cork came apart in bits when I pulled out the corkscrew. After some careful pouring, what emerged was a very classic St Julien of such youth and vibrancy it could easily have been 10 years younger. Superb fruit, velvety tannins, all beautifully integrated. Sadly, I have no more of these...
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8/22/2011 - thebeginner wrote: 95 Points
The generous guest who broght the wine to dinner suggested that we do not need to decant the magnum and we should go straight to tasting it. Alas, what a gorgeous wine! At the first few sips, I notice the body is medium and hte color lightly brownish ruby which was expected given the age. The nose is sumptous with red fruit, lots of berries and a tint of marshmellow. It possesed the special "St Julien" character as all the dinner guests agreed on. The oak is mellow and then the wine suddenly opened up and we tasted a lot of energy. The tannin started to emerge and the wine became super well balanced and a good companion to the chicken served at dinner. Definitely alive and kicking!!!
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7/23/2011 - sdr wrote: flawed
When the '70 Ducru is on, it's wonderful. This one was not. Too much VA for pleasure even though not corked.
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5/30/2011 - bon vivant wrote:
A very nice showing on this pristine bottle. Did not require decanting as it was ready to go. There is that classic green Ducru note here that can sometimes be a little much for me but this had plenty of dark red notes that opened up to balance things out nicely. Lots of black tea notes and a little forest floor -very smooth and well integrated tannins. One of the more enjoyable bottles of D-B I have experienced especially SbS with a hunk of grilled tenderloin. Impressive for a 41 year old wine.
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5/20/2011 - vindictive wrote:
Bottle and fill good, cork solid and came out intact. Another fine aged bordeaux that has plenty of life left. Not decanted (restaurant dinner) and although attractive early on, it improved with time in the glass. Classic St. Julien from one of my favorite chateaux.
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5/8/2011 - Corgi wrote: 93 Points
Classic claret with cedar and leather but with a relatively short finish.
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4/21/2011 - hargy wrote: 92 Points
still wonderful even if the fruit is in inevitable decline - what a bouquet!
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3/21/2011 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
not decanted and for a good reason - the wine fell off the cliff in about 30 mins. Killer nose, fully ready to go and enjoyable to boot.
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12/23/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 95 Points
KH's 40th birthday dinner (Bloom/Lily): Deliciously fragrant nose of sweet fruits, vanillin and coffee. Vibrant and full of life. Not surprised to find out later that it's ex-chateau stock.
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9/17/2010 - Paul S wrote: 89 Points
Tok Hong's 40th (Infuzi, Biopolis): Lots of positive reviews on CT, but the two bottles we had on the night just did not show well. Vegetables on the nose at first - asparagus, green wood, with some of Ducru's signature flowers and black tea in the background, along with sweet cassis scents underneath. A bit off-putting at first, but it did thankfully open up somewhat, with the green notes subsiding and the flowers and black tea notes coming to the fore - quite Oolong-like here. Palate was still going strong on the attack, with sweet cassis flecked with more green notes. Very nicely resolved too, with plush velvety tannins. Unfortunately, it nosedived after the mid-palate, going hollow quite fast. It filled up just a little with time, with red fruits and haw flakes emerging, but still remained a little empty at the finish. This still tasted very alive I thought, but I was not quite sure where it was going. Pleasantly drinkable, but not great. This was like a Bordeaux beast to the 1970 Tondonia's ravishing Rioja beauty. An unusual experience for a Ducru, which is often the belle at the party. Slightly off bottles maybe?
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9/17/2010 - astroman wrote:
Still nose at first which blows away after sitting in the glass. Still shows tightness on the palate. Amazing young. Very green on the nose and it shows even in the palate.
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8/15/2010 - blanquito wrote:
This was my tied as my WOTN. I drank this first of the reds, and I am glad I did. Only medium bodied with completely absorbed tannins, this wine charms with its complex bouquet and suave yet layered mouthfeel. Beautiful “old library” smell. Classic notes of cigarbox, leather with cherry fruit still sweetening the mid-palate. Lovely. A
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8/1/2010 - ken-yyz Likes this wine: 92 Points
A fantastic, mature Bordeaux. Plenty of fruit and life despite a very low shoulder fill on the bottle. Colour-wise, there was some orange and browning at the edge but the core was still deep ruby red. Some sediment but not too much. The palate was smooth as silk and if anything, this put on weight as the evening wore on. Delicious!
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7/16/2010 - jnlauridsen wrote: 96 Points
Perfect magnum - mature, but still years to go, I wish I had more of these...suprised with the amounts of fruith still left. Decanted for 45 min, opened up further through the dinner.
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7/11/2010 - garthbernstein wrote: 97 Points
Dark purple color, not a hint of oxidized orange, eggplant. Fragrant hazelnut nose, dried flowers (like grandma's perfume). This tasted great! Unexpectedly smooth, perfectly structured with great balance and acidity. Easy drinking, we were surprise at how "alive" it tasted, and it paired perfectly with a whole grilled chicken. My 40th birthday present from Eva, best gift ever!
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6/17/2010 - Old_Winyards wrote:
Nice claret. Tannins well resolved. Typical cassis, leather, and graphite. On the downward slope imo. Pleasant, but not outstanding.
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6/11/2010 - wino_tim wrote: 96 Points
Classy and poised, showing a tremendous amount of fruit for a forty year old wine, this is ruby red in color with aromas of ripe red cherry, dried thyme, fresh porcini mushrooms, truffles and sous bois. Almost Burgundian in feel, this is medium bodied on the palate, and velvety textured with a frankly sexy mouthfeel, and persistent flavors of chopped mushroom, red fruit, and dried rosemary.
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4/9/2010 - STEVEN@WINECELLARCLUB.COM wrote: 93 Points
Lot's of age in color - orange tint. Perfumed nose. Soft middle, tannins aged out, well balanced, still has fruit. Well aged moderately long finish. Decanted. Drink now - really good.
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4/4/2010 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
This bottle, from K&L a few years ago, was in superb condition; Very top shoulder fill, clean label (? too clean, re-release), wet cork which came out intact although tight. Absolutely classic Ducru - which is why some people like it and some don't. Deep ruby robe with only the tiniest hint of orange. Not very expressive aromatically but on the palate it is medium to full bodied, intensely flavored with cedar and spice (cinnamon) and ends with smoke and mouth cleansing acidity so typical of this vintage. K guessed it blind as the '89 LMHB and that was almost how it appeared. Based on this bottle, there is 20+ years of life in perfectly stored examples such as this one. Ducru does not come out to get you; you have to work at it.
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2/15/2010 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
Warm, mature colour, harmonious and classical; cedar and gravel, lovely smooth ripe red fruit, warm spicy oak; on the palate ultra-refined and elegant, sweet fruit, ripe acidity, perfectly harmonious, the most beautiful ripe tannins. A truly perfect bottle. Archetypal Saint-Julien.
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2/2/2010 - Owltree wrote: 90 Points
Good structure. Delicate tannins. Subtle fruit, some cherries but not the whole tree. Developed consistently over 45 minutes. Might be a little past its' peak but still excellent.
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1/5/2010 - daniei wrote: 94 Points
Stellar wine.
Awful cork, mouldy and soaked through but wine was still base neck. Nose was clean and inviting once the cork finally came out.Beautiful brick colour. 15 minutes decanting and then tasted...so soft and smooth, no harshness; beautiful balance of fruitiness and completely integrated tannins. No staleness or overbearing alcohol that sometimes creeps into wines of this age.
Constant for the 90 minutes we took to finish it.
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12/28/2009 - DocH wrote: 94 Points
Beautifully matured second growth Bordeaux. Exquisite deep red colour, with slight quarry tile tinge at the edge. This was the third bottle I have tasted in the last three months since buying from a friend. Impeccable provenance, and I have to say this third bottle was outstanding and better than the earlier two; perhaps it has now settled fully in my cellar. Floral nose with a woody edge. Beautifully integrated wine, with strong dark fruits and neither acid nor tannin to the fore to spoil the pleasure. Drank this with some family members who are not normally fine wine drinkers and they all thought it was a beautiful wine. I think this will keep yet, but I am planning to drink the other 9 bottles in the next 18 months to be on the safe side.
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11/21/2009 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
This bottle, sourced from K&L a few years ago, was in outstanding condition, with a bottom neck level, clean label which did not look decades old, and a firm moist cork which came out easily in one piece. Could this have been a late release? The importer lable gave no hint. In any case, this was an outstanding bottle of '70 Ducru, a wine I first tasted in 1980 and have had dozens of times since. Deep ruby center with orange rim; frangrant, pleasant bouquet of cedar and spice. Medium body, perfect acidity and bright fruit with a clean finish. Very much old Bordeaux style; fully mature of course, and seemingly with many years of life ahead. The only negative was its relative simplicity on both nose and palate, mostly blackcurrant.
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11/8/2009 - g-man wrote: 92 Points
Wonderfull floral nose with velevty smooth palate. This should be drunk now.
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9/29/2009 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Ducru-Beaucaillou 1961 to 2004 over dinner (Hawksmoor, Spitalfields, London): In a similar vein to the 1978 – a velvet texture, mulberry fruit, fleshy, zesty
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4/14/2009 - DaleW wrote:
no guesses from me (my wine). Cork broke, it was decanted but a bit cloudy. Nose is pretty nice, earthy forest floor notes with some tobacco. Cassis fruit, resolved tannins. Group got Medoc right away, and Taylor called St Julien early,. B+/A-
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3/29/2009 - tbabes wrote: 94 Points
From magnum; the fill was well into the neck, and decanted by the sommelier at Per Se about 30 minutes prior to service. A beautiful ruby-red core, with a hint of amber at the edge. A lovely bouquet, with a "classic" mature Bordeaux character, offering up scents of ripe dark fruits, cedar, a hint of tobacco, and forrest floor. Medium-bodied on the palate, nice fruit, a generous character, and a well delineated finish. A bit more "charm" than most of the '70 Bordeaux that I have tasted -- from my experience, only the Mouton is superior in that regard -- but clearly at its peak, even from a pristine magnum. A heavenly match with both the "Jambonnette of Quail" and "Tenderloin of Marcho Farms Nature Fed Veal"
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12/16/2008 - AMRS wrote: 92 Points
Libi's birth celebration dinner at home. We had a bobttle from my birthday (1969 Leroy Vosne Romanee 1er) and this one for the better half's birth year. So young it feels! unbelievable. Red fruit on both nose and palate,balanced, great acidity is holding it alive and will hold it for few more. An ageless wine. drink now-2012, 92 points or a bit more.
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10/20/2008 - hargy wrote: 93 Points
still quite a rich red with only the slightest browning at the rim - wonderful rich bouquet of mature claret - needs time in the glass to bring out a beautifully balanced and ever so delicate wine of impressive length for a wine that is almost forty years old! - lovely - decant - drink soon or keep (but not for more than a couple of years)
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8/9/2008 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
What a classical old Bordeaux from a different era. Medium dark garnet, so just right for age 36. Very intriguing and elusive nose of all secondary elements, such as tobacco, cedar and leather. The acidity was high but gradually moved to the background - or did it just need food to buffer it? Challenging wine; subtle, medium body and finish. Very well preserved (from K&L last year).
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5/14/2008 - DaleW wrote:
. I decided to use the bottle with the worst fill, about high shoulder. Cork promptly broke. 90% saturated.
Hey, not so bad. Not bad at all! Color is nice- a medium-red with only a hint of clear edges, no real browning. Nose of red currants, raspberries, leather. Red color partially transfers to the palate- previous bottles of this I tried have seemed all black fruit, this shows both red fruit and dark berries and cassis. Cedar is the predominant non-fruit odor, but there is tobacco, forest floor, and a little cocoa.
This surprises me as there are still a little bit of tannins unresolved. Not lush, there are good but smooth acids. Good length, concentration. Holds well over a couple hours, a lovely mature Bordeaux. Considering this is the bottle with the worst fill I am very happy with our buy! B+/A-
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5/10/2008 - Pearls_b4Swine wrote: 94 Points
Made the mistake of assuming I could decant and then pour, but despite its age it needed a couple of hours. Very slightly brown, cedar, forest floor and a creaminess to the nose, beautiful roundness in the mouth and a finsih that stayed with me after I had gone to bed. I regret only buying two... Makes me wish I could drink only 40 year old bdx.
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3/31/2008 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Sharp tannins at first but with air began improving. In very fine condition for a 38-year old second growth. Full-bodied with good intensity and richness yet has that lightness of texture that old Bordeaux develops. Lovely flavors of sweet tobacco and graphite with smoky and decaying dark fruits. Finishes complex with dry tannins. Ultimately a wonderful bottle of aged Bordeaux that still has years of life ahead, at least from the cellar at The Inn at Saw Mill farms in Vermont.
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2/12/2008 - Rupert wrote: flawed
Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical (Institute of Directors, London): Some browning, slightly musty, on the palate a lot of ripe fruit and fat - Linden declared it corked and it wasn't discussed, but I found the taint quite slight
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1/30/2008 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
Lovely mellow character of a well aged Bordeaux. Medium garnet but no brown. Immediately upon opening, a beautiful fragrance of dried rose, orange peel and just a hint of cedar annonced that this bottle was alive and well. It's well into its secondary phase where the fruit is no longer bold and fresh but has evolved into something much more elusive and complex. Then the typical 1970 vintage acidity makes its appearance and holds the wine true to its finish. This is the epitome of the anti-fruit bomb style that you either appreciate or find insipid. The older I get, the more I appreciate the senior citizens of the wine world.
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10/20/2007 - BigPoppaMD wrote:
Drank for my 37th birthday. I liked it, but clearly I need some more experience in drinking vintage Bordeaux. I honestly don't know if it was good or not. Shameful.
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10/14/2007 - Zweder wrote:
Very mature. In the bouquet some liquorice. The taste is still juicy with a good balance between sweetness and acidity. The wine is definitely past its peak and not even a shadow of what it was in 1988. Although the wine is still drinkable and not unpleasant I will not “officially” score it. My score for the moment would be 86. I do not know the history of this bottle, but well kept bottles might be much better.
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10/14/2007 - jkoenen wrote:
Vital ruby colour. Nose somewhat 'muffled'. Distinguished and restrained. Tres Bdx. Good structure and medium weight. Positive evolution in the glass. Very nice (though the rest of the table was less positive..). No formal rating.
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8/27/2007 - abh wrote:
From K&L. Brown at the rim but not faded. Not convinced this bottle was absolutely at its best, but an amazingly subtle, gentle, wine. Still plenty of fruit at the core and very complex cedary notes. After considerable time in the glass became incredibly soft, even drinkable with bits of desert.
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8/26/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote: 95 Points
The bottle got less air than the first one - big mistake. 2-3 hours Audouzing is a MUST!
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8/22/2007 - Serge Birbrair wrote: 97 Points
Why? Why? Why only did I buy 2 bottles??? At this price ($121 delivered) one should buy this wine by the case.
Brown but not rustic color, fruit present and in abundance for this 37 years old wine. Silky tannins, nose of a champ, long finish. More impresssive than 1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou I had this year.
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6/16/2007 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
This is what I am looking for in aged Bordeaux. The bottle was purchased last year from Premier Cru and was in outstanding condition (they bragged "perfect" in their description); level bottom neck, clean label and capsule, cork very moist and properly firm. There's definitely some brown in the color and the nose is shy at first, but eventually yields cedar of course, but also earth, saddle leather, dried leaves and dried currants. In the mouth, smooth, round, decisive notes of a wine deep into its secondary phase; i.e., no fresh fruit, yet really complex and "confident," as Michael Broadbent might say. Positive finish and not too acidic. The tannins have melted and it's a treat to drink if you're an old wine fanatic.
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5/12/2007 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
I just bought a parcel of this wine from a large collection assembled ex-chateau by K&L, so I was especially interested in re-tasting it. But this was Hugh's bottle, purchased many years ago. I was relieved to find it sound, fine and very interesting. Typical Ducru austerity and it forces the taster to pay attention or otherwise dismiss it as too slight, too sour. But after suitable time breathing the fresh Florida air, it came alive and demonstrated its subtle soil, cedar and cranberry sides, framed by firm acidity which keeps it fresh. The tannins are subdued. Very much alive; complex and subtle. A thinking man's claret.
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3/29/2007 - sdr wrote:
At Equinox. Very much alive, complex secondary aromatics, subtle but really fine.
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3/9/2007 - babnik wrote:
Pleasant and interesting but I would say this bottle was tired. A good example of how at this age, bottles can really vary. I've opened 4 of these. Two were superb. One was dead. This one was on its way out. NR.
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1/27/2007 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
Now this was a tremendous surprise in a positive way. Souced from K&L recently and given a 4 hour decant. Although not appreciated in the decanter, once poured into the glass, it displayed a gorgeous floral perfume that I would have pegged as Margaux or Palmer for sure. On the palate, medium weight, medium length, but sweet and seductive for about an hour. Then the perfume wore off and a bit of leather crept in, making the finish slightly dry. I haven't tasted this wine in many years, but this has to be one of the very best showings ever.
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1/1/2007 - fppiceo wrote: 92 Points
Open this last bottle New Year's Eve at Mille Fleur. We did not decant this wine becasue of its' age afraid that it might fade before we could enjoy it. It started out very tight with a bit of brett on the nose. There was a hint a red/black fruit in the begining with a bit of acidity. We allowed the wine to open in our glasses for sever minutes. This example of Ducru began to soften more fully revelaing blackberry, cassis and a hint of chocolate. After an hour it was velvity, balanced and fully revealed We enjoyed this fabulous wine with medallions of venison and king salmon. A perfect compliment ot both dishes.
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12/30/2006 - boblerner wrote: flawed
Absolutely undrinkable! Vinegar.
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7/27/2006 - trankin wrote: 91 Points
The 1970 Claret Vintage (John G's): Dark red fruits on the nose. A really really nice wine. Big complex red fruits. Still quite young. Good acids. Nice iron and earth.
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4/6/2006 - Myownscale wrote: 83 Points
Nose:
A little funk, Sherry
Palate:
Good, but not as nice as Las Cases, Robotussionish, a little light, well balanced, tart dark fruits
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11/26/2005 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A private dinner (@ Home): Classic, stylish, balanced Saint-Julien, mature but lively and with a lovely ripe sweetness to the fruit.
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9/2/2005 - babnik wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic mature Bordeaux. Surprisingly youthful color and fruit.
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11/13/2004 - IanL wrote: 89 Points
Sourced from Sotheby's from the cellar of Earl Spencer. Clean, pure nose with layers of game, damsons, rumtopf, cinnamon and a plummy, red-fruit character. Medium intense palate with fully-integrated velvety tannins and medium acidity. For what it is, a fine example - pure, aged bordeaux but not a blockbuster.
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3/25/2004 - Eric wrote: 89 Points
I split a bottle with Dan at his cost, $62.50 was my portion. Gorgeous color, amber at the edge but otherwise a brilliant garnet. The nose shows cedar with a very high-pitched, almost mint like edge of camphor. With time in the glass a hint of iron creeps in as this starts to come apart. The palate is surprisingly youthful, still showing some structure with sweet cedar but an otherwise somewhat monolithic character. This is a very nice bottle but it also lacks punch and complexity. I would imagine it is drinking past peak at this point, although the bottle in question was in very good shape.
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9/29/2003 - babnik wrote:
Had this again last night. This bottle, purchased and stored with the one I enjoyed back in June, was not showing nearly as well. Less body, less fruit, less... well everything. On the downhill slope. NR.
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6/11/2003 - babnik wrote: 91 Points
Superb mature Bordeaux. Elegant, but still vibrant after all these years. Dark brownish red with some amber bricking. Opens with sweet pipe tobacco smoke and cedar. Fantastic things happen in the mouth: black currant, prune, and dried fruit with notes of eucalyptus and tar. But even with these “aged” elements, there is still a youthfulness of sweeter, fresher fruit that emerged about 15 minutes after of decanting and remained for the next 1 1/2 hours. There’s an element of not unpleasant tannins on the finish, but I doubt this wine is going to improve much more. Drink it now while the fruit still leads this parade.
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3/1/2000 - sdr wrote: 84 Points
Great Wine Seminar. Good color for age. Faint nose, still there but not a lot of fruit left. Past its prime. Harmonious, though.
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12/28/1998 - chevalblanc1959 wrote: 93 Points
Lovely rich red colour, great flavour, very muscular wine, chewy, meaty, earthy with hints of tobacco and spices, long on the palate, lots of life ahead.
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3/1/1996 - sdr wrote: 84 Points
Good but advanced color. No aroma at all outdoors at Maxaluna but when I decanted it at home there was a pleasant waft of cedar. Starting to dry out and become astringent. It seems ‘70 Ducru never truly blossomed.
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1/1/1995 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points
too long ago to recall details but i would put it among my top 25 tasting experiences for bordeaux. will have the remaining bottle soon and share full details.
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9/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 89 Points
Another Schagrin’s bottle. Excellent color. Classic Médoc. Stylish middle weight. Too bad it’s somewhat bitter.
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6/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
A good bottle. Good color, orange rim. Muted but elegant and correct if slightly short. Silky smooth. No excess acidity. Fading but still attractive. At or a little past peak.
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5/21/1994 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 89 Points
7 Bordeaux including 4 from the 1982 Vintage (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Nice deep plum color in the glass, beautiful black berry and cigar box on the nose, rich, fruity, smoky taste, good acid on the long finish. My #5 and Group #4.
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2/1/1994 - sdr Does not like this wine: 82 Points
Schagrin’s bottle. Dull again. Too much tannin and oak for the meager fruit. Ungenerous. Probably poor storage.
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1/1/1994 - sdr wrote: 84 Points
Hurricane Liquor store bottle, now defunct, so I must have bought this many years ago. Good, not great. Lacks zip and excitement. Maybe drying out. Still, the breed of the Château and the quality of the vintage cannot be totally suppressed.
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7/1/1993 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Ducru. Medium weight, almost light, but full of juicy sweet fruit. Floral well integrated oak and tannins. Finishes well. Seems at peak now and unlikely to improve. Excellent for sure but not the tremendous depth of the ‘61.
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4/27/1993 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
Christie's Pre-Sale Tasting (Amsterdam): A great classic.
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12/1/1992 - sdr wrote: flawed
Corked.
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9/1/1992 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
From Schagrin’s wine shop. Medium garnet, very mature color. Very developed pretty bouquet of cedar and flowers. Medium body, medium depth, easy to drink. Finish is a bit too aggressive and acidic, though. Good match with loin of veal and Madeira sauce.
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1/1/1992 - sdr Does not like this wine: 78 Points
An off bottle. Excellent ruby color, barely orange at the rim. Intense aroma of cedar and blackberry. Medium weight and smooth. But spoiled by the acidic finish. Not much tannin. Too bad for this usually reliable wine.
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12/7/1991 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasting of 4 Bordeaux 1970 vintage. dark, red color in the glas, tasted young, rich almost chewy, fairly powerful but simple, long finish with a hint of soft tannins. My #2 of 4, Group tied #3.
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2/1/1991 - sdr Likes this wine: 89 Points
Healthy glowing color, orange rim. Fully mature. A soft velvety mouthful. Cedar and fruit. Not the most complex example yet elegant and fine.
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1/1/1991 - sdr Likes this wine: 86 Points
Deep ruby, barely garnet at the rim. Big plummy nose packed with ripe fruit. Sweet. A slight letdown on the palate, though. A little faded, a little soft but nicely balanced.
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9/22/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 90 Points
With MPL at S&F survey of '70s Claret. Medium-dark ruby. Clear. Nice nose--deep rich fruitiness. Nice on the palate, good gentle fruit. Rich, great body and balance. Excellent wine all around. 5-11-16-8: 90/100.
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9/1/1989 - sdr Likes this wine: 89 Points
From Burdine’s again. Deep red, no purple. Fresh very youthful nose of cedar and oak. Quite spicy. Plenty of tannin. Concentrated . Nicely balanced. A big Ducru with a long future.
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5/6/1989 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 87 Points
With MPL at Singer & Foy tasting of '70 Bordeaux. Very nice medium-dark ruby. Looks very fine. Nose seems closed, but still some toffee-coffee scents. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated, chewy. Still, slightly hard, and not as charming as it probably was when it was younger. 5-10-15-7: 87/100.
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2/1/1989 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good color, deep center and tuilé rim. Mature nose of medium complexity. Medium light body yet packed with fruit. Warm finish. Michael Broadbent, who was at the tasting opined “cherry, ripeness on mouth, lovely mid palate, very dry (tannic), copybook claret.”
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5/1/1988 - sdr Likes this wine: 89 Points
I bought this bottle out of the window at Burdine’s department store so not the greatest storage. Medium deep bright color, just beginning to fade at the edge. Looks like an 8-10 year old wine. Good firm nose cedar and spice. Medium weight. Balanced. Real St. Julien class and breed. Moderately tannic finish. Long life ahead.
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4/12/1988 - Zweder wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at the pre-sale tasting at Christies. Vanilla in the bouquet as well as good cassis. Very complex and refined. Cassis fruit, liquorice and a lot of other flavours. Minute long aftertaste. This is really great; it beats Las Cases at the moment. (Tasted at the same tasting.)
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4/1/1985 - FransS wrote: 97 Points
It was the very elegant bouquet and sublime balance that made this wine so special; you can smell the cream in the bouquet and it continues
in the very pure and concentrated taste. A warning, in future this wine can dry out.
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