Tasted double blind. No detailed notes taken. Very classic, old-school Bordeaux with a lot of minerality and freshness as the defining components. It misses a bit of depth and there’s not enough fruit to create a good balance but it’s still quite enjoyable to drink. Surprisingly, this had almost no tertiary aromas yet.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed.
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Bordeaux 2014, 10-years on tasted blind: One of the encore wines. I liked the forest floor nose here a lot, with tertiary aromas of a mature Claret. Elegant palate, tannins finally dissolved, dark berries, restraint and mineralic. Drink up, with food.
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Good red fruits, packed quite a punch and quintessentially Bordeaux. Outperforming the vintage here and I’d have thought this from a much stronger year from the late 90s.
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drunk alongside the 1989 Trotanoy (admittedly a strange combination...), and very surprisingly much the better of the two - this was delicious: mature, complex and long - plenty of life left but sadly the last of my bottles
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Last bottle. Black centre, touch of orange at the rim. Almost no sediment. Took three hours to really open up. Old and delicate. At the end of the advised drinking window. Not much nose, but in the mouth is full of flavour. Velvety feel, tannin there but not dominant. The cedar wood I so like in younger St Julian is missing but there is a fruitiness, blackcurrant and pear mix ? Surprising ‘sweetness’, although it’s bone dry. Fascinating, but not a crowd pleaser. Finished the bottle trying to puzzle it out ! Conclusion - drink in the first two thirds of the range for maximum enjoyment. Almost like different wines. Need to know that people like aged Bordeaux before sharing it. Serve with simple, quality dishes. Looking at the current retail price, I would not see it as value for money.
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Bought at EP to commemorate my wedding. Store in UK bonded warehouse ever since. Bottle in perfect shape. Double decanted for 90 minutes. Deep purple will no browning on the rim, tertiary flavour fully developed and fully integrated with the oak and fruit. A taste of yesteryears, classic proportioned, smooth and subtle. If I can score how enjoyable it was, it will be 96+
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Purchased at auction in 1999 and stored in my cellar since.
Good dark color, a bit of reddish brick on edge. Nose a bit reticent at first--with coaxing, solid black fruit--dried plums, maybe a bit of a pruney aroma, menthol, cigar box, wet leather, and a whiff of vanilla. Good velvety texture on the palate, with high-toned spice and similar flavors to the nose, but thinner and not as pleasing. Tannins are soft and broad, finish is a bit astringent. In other words, better aromas than flavors. Others at dinner were more impressed but my guess is that this bottle is on the downside--not bad, but this is not going to improve and was probably better 5 years ago. Drink now.
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Couleur sombre, très légère évolution, nez de sous-bois, mûres, cassis, champignons, tabac, bouche ronde, souple, tannins fondus, poivrons, chocolat, assez fruités, tannins et fin de bouche, un peu léger
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Decanted 3 hrs. Fairly deep red/black colour, paling edge. Classic St Julien nose w minerality, floral, some sweet liquorice, cassis. Rounded tannins (but definitely there), crisp acidity, fruit still fresh w liquorice and some herbs. Very well balanced, elegant wine. Long, balanced, complex aftertaste. Wine probably peaking now. Fantastic effort for a 1994!
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Ein typischer 94er. Rustikal und für moderne Begriffe sperrig, ganz leicht unsauber im Abgang. Dafür aber auch sehr klassisch. Tabak, Zeder, Waldboden, rote Frucht. Braucht noch etwas Luft, dann sehr gut ausbalanciert, feines Extrakt und passende Säure, rote und blaue Beeren, mineralisch, ein wenig Pilze und Sous-Bois, ganz leicht unsauberes Tannin im Abgang. Kein Ducru-typisches TCA in dieser Flasche.
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Pale rim, but pleasant robe. On the nose definitely black current with oak in the background. Lighter weight wine, but tasty fruit on the palate. Tannins still in the wine and finish. Not going to get any better.
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I am not a systematic detractor of the 1994 Bordeaux vintage. This one is fairly typical of those which have come my way with its robust and quite youthful colour and body but also in a deficit of charm and length. It was nevertheless a good pairing for Angus steak because of its savoury fruit, marked minerals and acidity, virile but somewhat austere character and still firm finish. I tasted this wine in a vertical in the late 90s (70 and 66 were the stars of the show) and it was not then a pleasant experience because of quite fierce tannins. There is some trace of these still but it is now just about very good.
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Completely Ducru, but the vintage shines (wrong word?) through. Nice nose of dried raspberry, cedar, tobacco and wet earth. On the palate, more sweet tobacco, black fruit, and herbs. Good acidity, but ok depth...comes across as thin, with a hint of tannin on the finish. Not bad, but this btl seemed past its prime.
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Not a powerhouse in terms of concentration or complexity. Little bricking evident. Lighter color made wife ask if I was drinking a Pinot. Tannins biting, red fruits, some leather, cedar with a medium finish. Tannins mellowed and wine developed after a couple of hours. Paired with bone in prime rib. Roast chicken and gratin could be a better choice.
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1994 is a red Bordeaux vintage with a lot of critics but I seem to have been luckier than many with my choices. This one is fairly typical being enjoyable with good quite pristine colour and robustness but without some of the graciousness and length of a Ducru-B from a fine vintage. The nose was perhaps the best feature with expressive mineral tinged red fruit. The palate was medium/full bodied and savoury in complexion with some depth, smooth texture, fresh acidity and still firm residual tannins towards the finish. An unusual feature was that it was not enhanced by its food pairing of young veal and seemed more complex after the dish was finished. No signs of imminent decline. Very good.
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Essentially same impressions as my 12/12/16 notes. Opened up nicely after pouring thru Vinturi upon P&P and then being open for 1+ hour. Might have benefited from decanting.
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Maybe I just have a very fresh bottle. It is tertiary but not in any way 'old'. Very fresh and vibrant. Great acidity, some tannin structure left and a meat and leather, cedar and cigar smoke sort of palate. A little bit of cassis. Lovely
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Youthful color in glass, no apparent bricking in rather dimly lit restaurant. Leather/cedar/earth & blackberries on the nose. Dark fruit on a very smooth mouth feel, medium finish. Saved 1/2 bottle under Argon for tomorrow night with leftover Pittsburgh style rare filet.
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Perfekter Füllstand und Kork! 3. von 3 Flaschen. Die 1. vor ca. 5 Jahren war toll (91P)! Die 2. habe ich auch getrunken, aber ohne Spass. Diese hier ist in den Ausguss gegangen. Zu wenig Frucht! Trinkbar, aber ohne Freude. Die Farbe wirkt schon gereift, das Tannin nicht. Zu viel Stuktur. Irgendwie fehlt einfach der Spass, selbst für den eher spassbefreiten Jahrgang! (80P)
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The 1994 Ducru is not a great wine, and this bottle was below that average too. Disjointed really, closed on the attack, hollow in the centre and acidic on the finish. Clearly drinkable, but not much more...
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Not the greatest Ducru by a very long way (I remember 1970, 66 an 61 in a vertical, all of which were stunning, and the 70 tasted older than the 66 and the 61 tasted as though it was the youngest - but that is a long time ago. This was pleasant but no fireworks
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Took to Bill's Lunch. Much different and improved over last weekend's bottle, though same sourced and not prepped differently. No traces here of an 'off' vintage: rather, cedary with good black cherry fruit and tobacco. Only off-vintage aspect is that these are prime drinking now and not for holding longer the way one would the '95's.
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Not opulent, but didn't find it lean and firm the way Jeff Leve did. On the other hand (she said, remembering Drew's '95 from a while back), he has a point. Definitely a leaner style; nonetheless, fully mature classic Bordeaux-ness that did pretty well with a roast chicken. Scored better on aroma than taste.
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Lean, firm and bright, some traditional tasters would call this classic. I think it's closer to unripe. The tannins are firm and the fruits are dominated by red berries. I'd drink this sooner than later as it's not going to improve.
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Dark garnet hue, little sediment. Took 3 hrs after decanting to really shine. Classic, cedar wood St Julien. Delicate but balanced. Good length. Drink up.
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Soft, light, austere with some light blackberry and a lighly leather nose; nicely textured and smooth with lingering sweet-sour tannins and a long integrated finish.
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Drank alongside the '95, I actually had a slight preference for the '94 at this point. The '94 has a more rustic quality to it, and the tannin was initially, as expected, much firmer. However, they softened with aeration, and this had a lovely classic claret quality to it. Compared to the flight of Cos we had the night before, these were overall more refined and polished. This '94 is in a really nice place, showing plum, cedar, cassis, and cigar notes. Medium to full bodied, with a lovely dark ruby color showing no signs of bricking. An hour or so of aeration did well to soften the firm tannins, and the finish was long and plush. Seems to be in a very good place but probably can hold for another 5-10 years.
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Sweet blackberry, earthy and flowered nose; textured and earthy fruit; broad on the mid palate; integrated tannins that were sweet and sour at times; a bit coarse on the finish but generally smooth. 3 hr decant.
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I took my own advice from 2 months ago and poured straight away, no decanting. Much better! Lots a graphite on the nose, mixed with cassis. This bottle shows a much stronger concentration of fruit than the last bottle, with velvet tannins and a long, slightly acidic finish.
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The wine still had decent fruit and a nice, velvety, finish. Surprised by how well it has held up. Drank this, my last bottle of '94 Ducru, with great friends at a wonderful restaurant, which is exactly how it was designed to be enjoyed!
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Decanted for 4 hours. Colour red, no bricking. Traditional Bordeaux nose - earth, pencil shavings, dense red fruit - although somewhat faint compared to other vintages. On the palate it has a nice structure, although somewhat thin. Finish is tannic and not very long. This is a nice wine, but either the bottle was somewhat off or this is a very poor vintage for the Chateau. 1994 was far from a great year, but I had still expected more from Ducru. I have several more bottles so I will see soon; this wine will not get better. Next time I will try without decanting.
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Mature disc, deep robe. I loved the nose - cedary, earthy, still good fruit. Evolving with some interesting tertiary aromas. A strong nose in a weak vintage that I usually dislike. Like many of the '94s, though, the palate doesn't quite follow through in character or balance. Tannic structure and a little angular. Some thought this was mildly corked, but I didn't see it at all. Probably fine over the next few years, but I'd drink now.
4- to 4
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still lovely. It is certainly in a drinking plateau but near the end. It was deliscious without a decant. Lovely classic nose and decent fruit onthe palate. more like my note from 2008.
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Decanted and drank over two days. Tried after a couple of hours of decant with a nose of diried cherry and earth. On the palate this was about finesse but never really reveals itself. Not green by any means but on the finish there is an occasional metalic note. This may improve and add more secondary character over the next few years but I don't see it getting much better.
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Little disappointed. Had it with Turkey, alongside a d'Angludet 1983 and 2003. D'Angludet 83 was the more lively and better proportioned wine. Ducru had reasonable colour, just a hint of brick at the rim. Quite light in the mouth, but lacking fruit. Will try one of the others on its own to check.
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Deep red color. Aromas of black currants, underbrush, lead pencil, cedar and earth. Ripe fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length and very good complexity. Sauve, ripe tannins and a somewhat silky mouthfeel. This wine is an excellent effort for the vintage and is still at the beginning of its peak drinking period.
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Wonderful savoury notes, leather, pencil shavings and so forth. Plenty of firm fruits on palette, drinking excellently now. Fine supple tannins and structured acid, well integrated.
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A good wine from an mediorce year. The wine is rich and dense, thought a little thin on the finish. The engaging and classic bordeaux nose leads to tasty mid palate. I didn't pay alot for this bottle so, I felt I got decent value for a well made wine from a difficult year. At age 15, this wine had developed but probably is still in the first half of its drinking window.
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"I'm mean and green.., but I'm not all baaaaad". Thin, linear and clean. Good médoc scent, thin green cedar taste, little aftertaste. Virtually no sweetness or body. Tolerable knowing it is an expensive French wine, from anywhere else you'd just knock it back without pleasure or chuck it away... in anger. Worth about 15 Euro, cost 51 Euro. 87P making a lot of allowances for tradition, terroir and snobbery.
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i seem to be in the minority as i found the wine to be promising at first taste, but then very hollow in the mid-palate and a fast fade at the end. hopefully it is i that is wrong as i have more f the wine.
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White pepper, leather, white flowers and limestone minerals, sharp cedar on a restrained and somewhat closed nose. Still quite tight and tannic. You can sesne the elegance and structure, but it is still not really showing its stuff yet. Another 3-5 years?
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Youthful appearance. Pencil box nose with flavors of soy, black olive, currant, and thyme. Mid-palate and finish are a bit thin with still considerable tannins. Could this still be closed? I think it's going to improve. Try again in 2010.
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Decanted about half an hour and consumed over next hour. Color is still deep ruby. Nose and palate of cedar, plums, tobacco, gravel. Tannins still there, but very balanced. Strong finish. This was excellent and seems to have years of life left. WOTN!
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No decantedt. lovely Bordeaux nose, elegant palate that almost matched the nose. Good length on the finish. Shut down a bit after an hour , but I think it is near its peak. Won't be better but will be just as lovely for quite some time.
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Wow.. Beautiful. At first a bit closed but later: finegrained tannines, yummy acid structure. Powerhouse but totally in control. Excellent balance. A noble knight. 18/20. Buy if the price is good (<42 euro).
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This Wine has a great dark color, medium body.I have not had to many of Ducru's vintages but this 94 had a nice and plessent scented nose of blackberry and mineral.I thought it had a week finish with very litle tannin.I have three 94 left and will give it another try very soon...
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3/18/2024 - Cailles wrote: 91 Points
Tasted double blind. No detailed notes taken. Very classic, old-school Bordeaux with a lot of minerality and freshness as the defining components. It misses a bit of depth and there’s not enough fruit to create a good balance but it’s still quite enjoyable to drink. Surprisingly, this had almost no tertiary aromas yet.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting needed.
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2/23/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Bordeaux 2014, 10-years on tasted blind: One of the encore wines. I liked the forest floor nose here a lot, with tertiary aromas of a mature Claret. Elegant palate, tannins finally dissolved, dark berries, restraint and mineralic. Drink up, with food.
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12/31/2023 - wineton.mee wrote: 93 Points
Good red fruits, packed quite a punch and quintessentially Bordeaux. Outperforming the vintage here and I’d have thought this from a much stronger year from the late 90s.
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12/30/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: flawed
End of year celebration: Very slight TCA but wow this was so vibrant for the weak vintage. Supple, sweet dark red fruit that made me think right-bank.
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9/30/2022 - gcarl wrote: 93 Points
Same impressions as on 12/12/16 and 5/4/17, but this time decanted slowly and allowed to breath for 1/2 hour. Glad to have 2 more in the cellar.
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6/21/2022 - Nothung Likes this wine: 92 Points
A beautiful, mature Bordeaux. Drinking well, but won’t improve from here. Probably nearing the end of its drinking plateau, so drink up.
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1/28/2022 - PhN Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicious claret that took about an hour to open and continued for several hours. I concur with those who believe it is starting to decline. Drink up!
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1/31/2021 - hargy wrote: 93 Points
drunk alongside the 1989 Trotanoy (admittedly a strange combination...), and very surprisingly much the better of the two - this was delicious: mature, complex and long - plenty of life left but sadly the last of my bottles
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12/12/2020 - rupertg Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last bottle. Black centre, touch of orange at the rim. Almost no sediment. Took three hours to really open up. Old and delicate. At the end of the advised drinking window. Not much nose, but in the mouth is full of flavour. Velvety feel, tannin there but not dominant. The cedar wood I so like in younger St Julian is missing but there is a fruitiness, blackcurrant and pear mix ? Surprising ‘sweetness’, although it’s bone dry. Fascinating, but not a crowd pleaser. Finished the bottle trying to puzzle it out ! Conclusion - drink in the first two thirds of the range for maximum enjoyment. Almost like different wines. Need to know that people like aged Bordeaux before sharing it. Serve with simple, quality dishes. Looking at the current retail price, I would not see it as value for money.
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8/5/2020 - Song103 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bought at EP to commemorate my wedding. Store in UK bonded warehouse ever since. Bottle in perfect shape. Double decanted for 90 minutes. Deep purple will no browning on the rim, tertiary flavour fully developed and fully integrated with the oak and fruit. A taste of yesteryears, classic proportioned, smooth and subtle. If I can score how enjoyable it was, it will be 96+
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8/2/2020 - Bibidudu Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tobacco leather blankftuits
Tanning bit dry and biting
Still nice to drink but somehow not as attractive as other nicer vintage
It has a trade mark ducru b taste. But the texture wasn’t as juice and rounded
It did taste better after breathing for a while. A bit rigid fresh out of bottle
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5/15/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Acker Auction - May 2019 (Zuma in NYC): From a magnum. Drinking well. Lots of black fruits and very bright. Bit of herbs in the mid-palate. Very nice.
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5/8/2019 - hargy Likes this wine: 88 Points
light easy drinking wine - lovely bouquet - needs drinking
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3/16/2019 - townjbc Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nice wine still, but not great. A bit of a disappointment given it’s station.
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1/26/2019 - hsacks Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to the 6/18/16 bottle except even more complex and longer on the palate.
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12/26/2018 - meadowlake59 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Purchased at auction in 1999 and stored in my cellar since.
Good dark color, a bit of reddish brick on edge. Nose a bit reticent at first--with coaxing, solid black fruit--dried plums, maybe a bit of a pruney aroma, menthol, cigar box, wet leather, and a whiff of vanilla. Good velvety texture on the palate, with high-toned spice and similar flavors to the nose, but thinner and not as pleasing. Tannins are soft and broad, finish is a bit astringent. In other words, better aromas than flavors. Others at dinner were more impressed but my guess is that this bottle is on the downside--not bad, but this is not going to improve and was probably better 5 years ago. Drink now.
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12/2/2018 - Dionysos 1920 wrote: 92 Points
Couleur sombre, très légère évolution, nez de sous-bois, mûres, cassis, champignons, tabac, bouche ronde, souple, tannins fondus, poivrons, chocolat, assez fruités, tannins et fin de bouche, un peu léger
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11/30/2018 - Leto South wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 3 hrs. Fairly deep red/black colour, paling edge. Classic St Julien nose w minerality, floral, some sweet liquorice, cassis. Rounded tannins (but definitely there), crisp acidity, fruit still fresh w liquorice and some herbs. Very well balanced, elegant wine. Long, balanced, complex aftertaste. Wine probably peaking now. Fantastic effort for a 1994!
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6/2/2018 - pinotwok Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ein typischer 94er. Rustikal und für moderne Begriffe sperrig, ganz leicht unsauber im Abgang. Dafür aber auch sehr klassisch. Tabak, Zeder, Waldboden, rote Frucht. Braucht noch etwas Luft, dann sehr gut ausbalanciert, feines Extrakt und passende Säure, rote und blaue Beeren, mineralisch, ein wenig Pilze und Sous-Bois, ganz leicht unsauberes Tannin im Abgang. Kein Ducru-typisches TCA in dieser Flasche.
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5/31/2018 - townjbc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pale rim, but pleasant robe. On the nose definitely black current with oak in the background. Lighter weight wine, but tasty fruit on the palate. Tannins still in the wine and finish. Not going to get any better.
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5/12/2018 - eboracum wrote: 90 Points
I am not a systematic detractor of the 1994 Bordeaux vintage. This one is fairly typical of those which have come my way with its robust and quite youthful colour and body but also in a deficit of charm and length. It was nevertheless a good pairing for Angus steak because of its savoury fruit, marked minerals and acidity, virile but somewhat austere character and still firm finish. I tasted this wine in a vertical in the late 90s (70 and 66 were the stars of the show) and it was not then a pleasant experience because of quite fierce tannins. There is some trace of these still but it is now just about very good.
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4/13/2018 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Completely Ducru, but the vintage shines (wrong word?) through. Nice nose of dried raspberry, cedar, tobacco and wet earth. On the palate, more sweet tobacco, black fruit, and herbs. Good acidity, but ok depth...comes across as thin, with a hint of tannin on the finish. Not bad, but this btl seemed past its prime.
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12/23/2017 - yotaiwan Does not like this wine: 85 Points
tastes old and dated, with dry plums and wet straw. hope its the bottle.
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10/26/2017 - justpkj Likes this wine: 88 Points
Not a powerhouse in terms of concentration or complexity. Little bricking evident. Lighter color made wife ask if I was drinking a Pinot. Tannins biting, red fruits, some leather, cedar with a medium finish. Tannins mellowed and wine developed after a couple of hours. Paired with bone in prime rib. Roast chicken and gratin could be a better choice.
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10/8/2017 - eboracum Likes this wine: 91 Points
1994 is a red Bordeaux vintage with a lot of critics but I seem to have been luckier than many with my choices. This one is fairly typical being enjoyable with good quite pristine colour and robustness but without some of the graciousness and length of a Ducru-B from a fine vintage. The nose was perhaps the best feature with expressive mineral tinged red fruit. The palate was medium/full bodied and savoury in complexion with some depth, smooth texture, fresh acidity and still firm residual tannins towards the finish. An unusual feature was that it was not enhanced by its food pairing of young veal and seemed more complex after the dish was finished. No signs of imminent decline. Very good.
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5/4/2017 - gcarl wrote: 93 Points
Essentially same impressions as my 12/12/16 notes. Opened up nicely after pouring thru Vinturi upon P&P and then being open for 1+ hour. Might have benefited from decanting.
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4/26/2017 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Maybe I just have a very fresh bottle. It is tertiary but not in any way 'old'. Very fresh and vibrant. Great acidity, some tannin structure left and a meat and leather, cedar and cigar smoke sort of palate. A little bit of cassis. Lovely
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12/12/2016 - gcarl wrote: 92 Points
Youthful color in glass, no apparent bricking in rather dimly lit restaurant. Leather/cedar/earth & blackberries on the nose. Dark fruit on a very smooth mouth feel, medium finish. Saved 1/2 bottle under Argon for tomorrow night with leftover Pittsburgh style rare filet.
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6/18/2016 - hsacks Likes this wine: 93 Points
Impressively, identical to the 7/17/10 bottle except this one is in the prime of its peak drinking period.
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4/15/2016 - champussi Does not like this wine:
Perfekter Füllstand und Kork! 3. von 3 Flaschen. Die 1. vor ca. 5 Jahren war toll (91P)! Die 2. habe ich auch getrunken, aber ohne Spass. Diese hier ist in den Ausguss gegangen. Zu wenig Frucht! Trinkbar, aber ohne Freude. Die Farbe wirkt schon gereift, das Tannin nicht. Zu viel Stuktur. Irgendwie fehlt einfach der Spass, selbst für den eher spassbefreiten Jahrgang! (80P)
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12/1/2015 - MrBrege wrote: 89 Points
The 1994 Ducru is not a great wine, and this bottle was below that average too. Disjointed really, closed on the attack, hollow in the centre and acidic on the finish. Clearly drinkable, but not much more...
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11/20/2015 - johneagle Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not the greatest Ducru by a very long way (I remember 1970, 66 an 61 in a vertical, all of which were stunning, and the 70 tasted older than the 66 and the 61 tasted as though it was the youngest - but that is a long time ago. This was pleasant but no fireworks
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7/3/2015 - sunalsorises wrote: 90 Points
Well balanced. Fruit well integrated but lacks depth.
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1/23/2014 - paulst Likes this wine: 90 Points
Blackberry; soft and elegant; tannic and still young with a light finish.
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11/20/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light leather and earth nose; textured; tannic; layered; great potential and more time required to integrate the harsh tannins.
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11/9/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Leather and notes of barnyard; terrior expressive; integrated; light notes; a bit watery; blackberry-cherry; good finish.
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9/8/2013 - Neecies Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took to Bill's Lunch. Much different and improved over last weekend's bottle, though same sourced and not prepped differently. No traces here of an 'off' vintage: rather, cedary with good black cherry fruit and tobacco. Only off-vintage aspect is that these are prime drinking now and not for holding longer the way one would the '95's.
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9/5/2013 - Neecies Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not opulent, but didn't find it lean and firm the way Jeff Leve did. On the other hand (she said, remembering Drew's '95 from a while back), he has a point. Definitely a leaner style; nonetheless, fully mature classic Bordeaux-ness that did pretty well with a roast chicken. Scored better on aroma than taste.
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7/25/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 88 Points
Lean, firm and bright, some traditional tasters would call this classic. I think it's closer to unripe. The tannins are firm and the fruits are dominated by red berries. I'd drink this sooner than later as it's not going to improve.
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5/4/2013 - paulst Likes this wine:
Nice cedar nose; a bit austere with earthy-mature tannins; rather short on the finish.
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4/25/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic cedar and tar nose; light texture with round earthy rich blackberry fruit; long and sweet; very nice.
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3/20/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy and rather tannic; broad light blackberry fruit; smmoth and long, but austere; sweet earthy finish.
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2/16/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Austere blackberry; soft and smooth; lean and herbaceous; brittle tannins; some iron; good length with elegance.
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2/10/2013 - rupertg wrote: 88 Points
Dark garnet hue, little sediment. Took 3 hrs after decanting to really shine. Classic, cedar wood St Julien. Delicate but balanced. Good length. Drink up.
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1/19/2013 - paulst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft, light, austere with some light blackberry and a lighly leather nose; nicely textured and smooth with lingering sweet-sour tannins and a long integrated finish.
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12/26/2012 - GrapeScott wrote: 93 Points
Drank alongside the '95, I actually had a slight preference for the '94 at this point. The '94 has a more rustic quality to it, and the tannin was initially, as expected, much firmer. However, they softened with aeration, and this had a lovely classic claret quality to it. Compared to the flight of Cos we had the night before, these were overall more refined and polished. This '94 is in a really nice place, showing plum, cedar, cassis, and cigar notes. Medium to full bodied, with a lovely dark ruby color showing no signs of bricking. An hour or so of aeration did well to soften the firm tannins, and the finish was long and plush. Seems to be in a very good place but probably can hold for another 5-10 years.
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12/6/2012 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light; soft tannins; reserved; smooth with light sweet blackberry; moderate finish.
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12/3/2012 - paulst Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet blackberry, earthy and flowered nose; textured and earthy fruit; broad on the mid palate; integrated tannins that were sweet and sour at times; a bit coarse on the finish but generally smooth. 3 hr decant.
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10/20/2012 - mstar wrote: 90 Points
Opened and poured. Aromas of sweet fruit and saddle leather. Tanins well integrated. Spicey with medium body and a moderately long finish.
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9/2/2012 - MrBrege wrote: 91 Points
I took my own advice from 2 months ago and poured straight away, no decanting. Much better! Lots a graphite on the nose, mixed with cassis. This bottle shows a much stronger concentration of fruit than the last bottle, with velvet tannins and a long, slightly acidic finish.
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8/30/2012 - allfalkedup Likes this wine: 93 Points
The wine still had decent fruit and a nice, velvety, finish. Surprised by how well it has held up. Drank this, my last bottle of '94 Ducru, with great friends at a wonderful restaurant, which is exactly how it was designed to be enjoyed!
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8/26/2012 - Jillrene wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for two hours. Perfect timing to drink this wine.
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8/5/2012 - Mascalese Likes this wine: 92 Points
Yummy yummy! Excellent, powerful, long finish. Who said all 94s are boring??? Lucky me has almost two cases left ... :)
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7/14/2012 - MrBrege wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Colour red, no bricking. Traditional Bordeaux nose - earth, pencil shavings, dense red fruit - although somewhat faint compared to other vintages. On the palate it has a nice structure, although somewhat thin. Finish is tannic and not very long. This is a nice wine, but either the bottle was somewhat off or this is a very poor vintage for the Chateau. 1994 was far from a great year, but I had still expected more from Ducru. I have several more bottles so I will see soon; this wine will not get better. Next time I will try without decanting.
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6/17/2012 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Mature disc, deep robe. I loved the nose - cedary, earthy, still good fruit. Evolving with some interesting tertiary aromas. A strong nose in a weak vintage that I usually dislike. Like many of the '94s, though, the palate doesn't quite follow through in character or balance. Tannic structure and a little angular. Some thought this was mildly corked, but I didn't see it at all. Probably fine over the next few years, but I'd drink now.
4- to 4
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5/21/2012 - Mascalese Likes this wine: 92 Points
In excellent condition, perfect bottle. St. Julien at its best. No need to worry here ...
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4/24/2012 - VoteferPedro wrote: 92 Points
still lovely. It is certainly in a drinking plateau but near the end. It was deliscious without a decant. Lovely classic nose and decent fruit onthe palate. more like my note from 2008.
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2/10/2012 - bobpsi wrote: 88 Points
1/2 hr decant. Moderate nose of earth, red fruit and cedar. Medium body of red and black cherry, earth, bell pepper, and spice . Medium finish.
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12/26/2011 - g-man wrote: 89 Points
Decanted and drank over two days. Tried after a couple of hours of decant with a nose of diried cherry and earth. On the palate this was about finesse but never really reveals itself. Not green by any means but on the finish there is an occasional metalic note. This may improve and add more secondary character over the next few years but I don't see it getting much better.
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12/7/2011 - WinoRick wrote: 92 Points
Medium garnet, with not much browning. Medium bodied and balanced. I'd say this wine is at its peak.
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12/25/2010 - rupertg wrote: 83 Points
Little disappointed. Had it with Turkey, alongside a d'Angludet 1983 and 2003. D'Angludet 83 was the more lively and better proportioned wine. Ducru had reasonable colour, just a hint of brick at the rim. Quite light in the mouth, but lacking fruit. Will try one of the others on its own to check.
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12/5/2010 - Ricky99 wrote: 88 Points
a bit green, drinkable but not special at all
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11/21/2010 - patrickrains wrote: flawed
bottle was off. very astringent, with harsh bitter taste
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7/19/2010 - hsacks wrote: 93 Points
Deep red color. Aromas of black currants, underbrush, lead pencil, cedar and earth. Ripe fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length and very good complexity. Sauve, ripe tannins and a somewhat silky mouthfeel. This wine is an excellent effort for the vintage and is still at the beginning of its peak drinking period.
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5/22/2010 - norsktorsk wrote: 90 Points
Reddish with a brownish orange hue. Somewhat tired but interesting.
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3/8/2010 - jameskb101 wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful savoury notes, leather, pencil shavings and so forth. Plenty of firm fruits on palette, drinking excellently now. Fine supple tannins and structured acid, well integrated.
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6/25/2009 - VoteferPedro wrote: 90 Points
no detail note
popped and poured
overall a complete bordeaux, satisfying and somehow "cool" feeling.
5+12+16+7=90
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6/4/2009 - jaga wrote: 90 Points
A good wine from an mediorce year. The wine is rich and dense, thought a little thin on the finish. The engaging and classic bordeaux nose leads to tasty mid palate. I didn't pay alot for this bottle so, I felt I got decent value for a well made wine from a difficult year. At age 15, this wine had developed but probably is still in the first half of its drinking window.
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5/1/2009 - honest bob wrote: 87 Points
"I'm mean and green.., but I'm not all baaaaad". Thin, linear and clean. Good médoc scent, thin green cedar taste, little aftertaste. Virtually no sweetness or body. Tolerable knowing it is an expensive French wine, from anywhere else you'd just knock it back without pleasure or chuck it away... in anger. Worth about 15 Euro, cost 51 Euro. 87P making a lot of allowances for tradition, terroir and snobbery.
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2/23/2009 - IAMVLAD wrote: 82 Points
i seem to be in the minority as i found the wine to be promising at first taste, but then very hollow in the mid-palate and a fast fade at the end. hopefully it is i that is wrong as i have more f the wine.
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1/29/2009 - jreis wrote:
White pepper, leather, white flowers and limestone minerals, sharp cedar on a restrained and somewhat closed nose. Still quite tight and tannic. You can sesne the elegance and structure, but it is still not really showing its stuff yet. Another 3-5 years?
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5/11/2008 - babnik wrote: 91 Points
Youthful appearance. Pencil box nose with flavors of soy, black olive, currant, and thyme. Mid-palate and finish are a bit thin with still considerable tannins. Could this still be closed? I think it's going to improve. Try again in 2010.
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4/22/2008 - JuniorSamples wrote: 93 Points
Decanted about half an hour and consumed over next hour. Color is still deep ruby. Nose and palate of cedar, plums, tobacco, gravel. Tannins still there, but very balanced. Strong finish. This was excellent and seems to have years of life left. WOTN!
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4/10/2008 - VoteferPedro wrote: 93 Points
No decantedt. lovely Bordeaux nose, elegant palate that almost matched the nose. Good length on the finish. Shut down a bit after an hour , but I think it is near its peak. Won't be better but will be just as lovely for quite some time.
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3/14/2008 - cgseldin wrote: 92 Points
Initially this seemed a bit thin. But with 2 hours of air it grew elegant and lovely, very smooth with smoke and black fruits.
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12/16/2007 - rjonas wrote: 93 Points
Fair amount of tannins, very good balance...
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8/18/2007 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful cedar/lead pencil nose; Still a good amount of tannins; Good balance; This one still has some life ahead of it
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4/11/2007 - tradewines wrote: 91 Points
Black currant, cedar, leather, tobacco, tannins are resolved, beautiful balance. Great match with roasted lamb.
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3/17/2007 - jkoenen wrote: 92 Points
Wow.. Beautiful. At first a bit closed but later: finegrained tannines, yummy acid structure. Powerhouse but totally in control. Excellent balance. A noble knight. 18/20. Buy if the price is good (<42 euro).
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1/24/2007 - PhDP wrote: 82 Points
Bordeaux 1994 (groupe du mercredi, Bruxelles, Belgium, chez MC): Note moyenne du groupe: 14,9/20
Fruit assez simple
Bouche dure, fermée, froide, pas très complexe, pas très longue mais élégante
Vin plutôt opulent à l'attaque, étroit en finale.
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12/25/2006 - wcork wrote: 90 Points
Classic ! Great nose and drank well with standing rib-roast..........
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11/5/2006 - Bunski wrote: 88 Points
A little more fruit on this bottle than last one, but again lacks the complexity and body of better years. Very consistent with prior bottle.
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10/22/2005 - wcork wrote: 88 Points
This Wine has a great dark color, medium body.I have not had to many of Ducru's vintages but this 94 had a nice and plessent scented nose of blackberry and mineral.I thought it had a week finish with very litle tannin.I have three 94 left and will give it another try very soon...
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8/23/2005 - Bunski wrote: 87 Points
The wine came across as well made, but could tell the vintage was sub-par. Lacked the fruit and concentration of better years. The tannins all gone.
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