Ron Siegel

9.3

Mostly black fruits, full bodied with cedar, leather, sweet spices & tobacco — 2 days ago

Ming L

9.2

Sourced largely from dedicated parcels and younger vines in a frost-challenged year, it opens with red currant, graphite, and cedar, layered with subtle floral and savory notes. The palate is full bodied and precise, with polished tannins, fresh acidity, and restrained oak.

More akin to Clos du Marquis to Leoville Las Cases in spirit than declassified Grand Vin, this is a well priced Cuvée from Ducru. — 2 months ago

John Bratincevic

9.1

Always a good value. Less impressed than last time but wasn’t paying close attention. Will have to try again. — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1998 vintage. Cork a little dry near the bottom so called out the Durand for a rescue. Less meniscus than expected. Dusty, earthy nose. Medium body. Heaps of allspice/sandalwood, prunes and baking chocolate hovering about in the medicinal/oily nose and (mostly) in the flavor profile. Ridiculously reminiscent of an aged (‘80’s-‘90’s) Branaire-Ducru St. Julien BDX. So much so that, if blind tasting, that is the guess. This is gliding along. No highs or lows to navigate currently. Not a showstopper by any means but one helluva ringer in a blind tasting. Some bretty influences here and there but nothing warranting a red card/dq. Picked up slightly more body and a noticeable cinnamon/clove note on the finish after being open for an hour. Also...some muddiness along with a sudden frontal-palate richness (at the 1.5 hours open mark) reminiscent of Petit Verdot involvement/influence. WTF?!?! Bring it! 4.21.24. — 2 years ago

Kate

9.2

I had a few chips and salsa before sipped this and i noticed a cinnamon flavor. No more chips. Just wine. I no longer notice the cinnamon. Dark fruit. Medium body. Feels cool and smooth on my palate. A little dry finish. I am enjoying. — 15 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Blend of 66% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, floral spice and smoky tobacco notes, aged 12 months in 80% new barrels. On the palate flavors of blackberry and black cherry with cacao, tobacco, licorice and cigar spice. Fine chewy tannins, well balanced on long finish, ending with fruit, cedar, tobacco and earthy mineral character. Very nice, will age well but needs time in the bottle to really enjoy! — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and a splash of Cabernet Franc, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, floral spice and smoky cedar notes, aged 12 months in 60% new barrels. On the palate flavors of fresh blackberry, plum and black cherry with cacao, tobacco, licorice and smoky spice. Fine grainy tannins, well balanced on long finish, ending with fruit, cedar, smoke and earthy mineral character. Very nice, but needs a few more years of bottle age to really enjoy! — 3 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Château Branaire-Ducru 2023 – Saint-Julien, Grand Cru Classé en 1855, BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A structured and expressive Saint-Julien showing youthful intensity and precision, driven by 65% Cabernet Sauvignon–led blend with 28% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc as a support. The wine delivers power, polish, and depth, yet remains clearly in its developmental phase, signaling strong aging potential.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, cassis, dark plum, graphite, cedarwood, crushed stone, subtle cocoa, fresh tobacco leaf, light violet lift.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus to full-bodied with firm, polished tannins, vibrant acidity, tightly wound core, excellent structural grip, and a long, focused finish that hints at future complexity.

Food Pairings
Chargrilled ribeye, lamb chops with rosemary, venison, mushroom ragù, aged Manchego or Comté.

Verdict
A serious, high-potential Saint-Julien that stands confidently in the mid-pack today while clearly projecting upward trajectory. Best enjoyed after a few years of cellaring to allow texture and aromatics to fully integrate.

🍷 Personal Pick
You can feel the horsepower under the hood, this just needs track time. Not quite ready for full send yet, but absolutely worth waiting for. Future star energy all over this bottle. — 13 days ago

Ruud Verhagen

9.3

one of the best seconds….👌🏼 — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1990 vintage. Excellent fill and halfway saturated cork. Used a Durand but surmise a regular waiter's friend, wielded carefully, could have done the trick with the cork. Decanted and tasted after 30 mins, one hour and two hours. Some obvious sed but not troublesome or overtly noticeable. Original owner-château direct on original release. Super cold cellar because this was lagging noticeably behind other '90's and LB's. Bigger tannic structure (for a generally feminine-styled house) than anything save a Latour, Mouton, Ducru Left Bank property. Even more guts than Lynch-Bages or Pichon-Baron '90's currently stored above 55 or so degrees. Surprising but made sense. Light-medium body. Appropriate color. 3-4 years left in this stage unless larger format in play. Slight, fleeting burst of richness in the frontal palate and a tad brickish and then it just flowed on, without speed bumps. A little cocoa powder and cedar/tobacco. Suspect 750ml specimens not stored as cold/religiously will be showing more in the 9.0-9.1 range and farther down the backside of the bell curve. 10.26.24. — a year ago