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. — 4 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , medium wide ruby rim , youthful colour . Quite open and fruit forward with quite high toned cassis , grafite tinged blackberry , and an earthy , dusty character . On the palate quite round and generous but well balanced , sweet blackberry, blackcurrant fruit with the grippy grafite tannins and enough freshness . Reasonable length sweet cassis , with a grafite and herbal tinged finish . Drinking well now , though obviously youthful , will probably to continue to show well over the next 10 years or so. At Hawksmoor , Liverpool , 18th Jan 2026 — 4 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Mostly black fruits, full bodied with cedar, leather, sweet spices & tobacco — 4 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

This needed some air to open to reveal red & black fruits, menthol, sweet savory spice, earth, graphite & tobacco leaf. — 4 months ago

Fabio Franchella

9.1

Really solid. 13 years old and still fresh. — 4 months ago

with Xenia

Jason Gelman

9.2

paired this with a skirt steak salad. 👌👌 — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1988 vintage. Good fill, good cork. Opened with a Durand and decanted. Tasted after two hours. Those initial, futile attempts at being masculine but ultimately feminine. Exemplary stuffing with enough of an outline to carry this wine another 5-6 years in this stead. Light-medium body with a decently traceable finish. Better than expected. 12.25.25. — 5 months ago

Mark S.

9.0

elegant Château Rauzan-Ségla 17 @18590, Pieroth, 251117 — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dense dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, chocolates, spices, dark coffee, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, black plums, tobacco leaf, cedar, light earth, spices, dark coffee, herbs, dark chocolates, peppercorn and black tea.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious 15 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from the great 2010 vintage in Bordeaux. Rich and extracted. Complex and engaging. Powerful and spicy.

Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel. Fruit forward and interesting.

Drinking very nicely now and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food, like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 21 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120. — 7 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, smoke and flinty notes, aged 40% new French oak. On the palate flavors of blackberry and black cherry with cacao, cedar, espresso and spicy notes. Lively acidity, firm dusty tannins, medium+ finish ending with fruit, tobacco and spicy oak. Needs a little more time in bottle. — 9 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I’ve had a number of PC 96’s over time, none quite this good. The fill line & cork perfect. Very little sediment. Some bottle neck tannin burn. For me, Pontet Canet didn’t really hit its consistent, quality stride until 2005. Doesn’t mean they didn’t make a few beauties before then. Pontet Canet is proof that the 1855 Bordeaux Classification needs to be redone. Unlikely it will in my lifetime.

This 96 maybe just short of its precipice. Stylistically a little better than 94.

The nose reminds me of everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola. Sweet forest floor w/ leaves, sweet mushrooms, sweet led pencil shavings, steeped tea w/ hints of fruit, charcoal, dry tobacco/leather, some dry herbs, withering dark, red flowers, red roses with violets.

The palate is also everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola/red vines. Everything I understood the first time standing in the estate vineyard of Pichon Baron. Tasting limestone, dry river stone, dark, rich soils with dry leaves, dry stems. In fact, I’ve tasted vineyards soils everywhere I have been in every world wine region. Basically, everywhere in the wine world that has reliance. Many multiple times. Sweet graphite, steeped tea w/ hints of dark fruit, understated, layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanillin, dark cocoa, dark exotic spices, some anise to black licorice, charcoal, dry tobacco with ash/leather, some dry herbs-safe/bay leaf, limestone, dry river stone, dry crushed rocks, dark, rich, earth with dry leaves, dry topsoils, dry stems, withering/dry dark, red flowers, red roses with violets, excellent, rainfall acidity with an extremely well balanced/structured/tensioned, great length and an elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls nicely on dry earth and dark spices.

A very, very slow roll with my Ribcap. Definitely better with the steak than on its own.

This bottle tells me this 96 has plenty of good drinking ahead, another 8-10 yrs+.

ABV is 13%. Disappointing it ever changed. — 4 months ago

James Burge

9.4

Jeroboam 2005. They say this was a challenging vintage. This bottling beats the challenge. 21 years from harvest it opens up beautifully. Luscious leather, dark cherry with tobacco and currant. The nose is as if you stepped into a new car 2 hours after someone baked christmas spice cookies. — 4 months ago

with Ali

Chris MacLean

9.1

Still fairly tannic and reticent. Give it al least 5 more years. — 4 months ago

with Alessandro

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Pretty deep ruby garnet , medium wide garnet rim . Aromatic and really classic with a mix or red and dark fruits , tobacco , grafite and cedar . On the palate this is quite linear , again with the red and dark fruits from the nose, cedar and grafite and quite rounded resolved tannins . Fresh acidity , good cedar with grafite length , very classic in style . Enough density and fruit to cover the rest of the structure. In a perfect place now at least in this format , and probably will be over the next 10 years . This was from an Imperial , at BBR in London . — 5 months ago

Peter Rosenfeld

9.6

2005 awesome. Dark flavours and so smooth — 4 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.2

Impressive showing...maybe needs 1-2 years for a more rounded enjoyment but this was already very pleasant. — 5 months ago

Ericsson

9.4

1st Growth Bordeaux Wine Dinner at Bisou in Cancun. — 5 months ago

Rod Carril

9.1

Excellent tannins, wonderful finish — 7 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby garnet , quite thin garnet ruby rim . Quite rounded blackberry , cassis , red plum , violet, cedar and burnt embers . On the palate this is quite elegant and red fruited ,red plum , cherry , blackberry and hint of red currant . Quite rounded and generous , balanced acidity and suave , velvety tannins . Medium length , with slightly smoky red fruit finish . This is showing well now , and is the middle of its drinking window . Now and over the next 5 years or so — 8 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

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

Overview
A youthful yet promising Saint-Julien showing early elegance, fine balance, and clear upward trajectory. The blend delivers freshness, precision, and layered fruit while still carrying a few youthful edges that signal excellent aging potential.

Aromas & Flavors
Red currant, black cherry, raspberry compote, graphite, cedar shavings, crushed herbs, light cocoa dust, subtle floral lift.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with fine-grained tannins, lively acidity, polished mid-palate, slightly angular finish that tightens at the end, a clear marker of youth and future integration potential.

Food Pairings
Herb-roasted chicken, duck breast, pork tenderloin, grilled mushrooms, mild aged cheeses (Tomme, young Comté).

Verdict
A high-quality, early-showing Saint-Julien that already flashes elegance and balance, but will benefit significantly from a few years of cellaring to soften edges and broaden complexity.

🍷 Personal Pick
The talent is obvious, can be enjoyed now. I’d happily cellar this and come back when smooths out a bit more and when aromatics stretch their legs. — 4 months ago

Vino Joe

9.8

Wow. Wow and wow. This was amazing! It’s definitely still early on. I let this decant for 2.5 hours before the first sip. It was revved and ready by then and was stellar by hour 4+. Rich and deep but silky smooth. Currants and an earthy/smokey quality. Loved this! — 4 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Medium deep ruby garnet with wide garnet rim . Open and classic on the nose with tobacco , grafite , herbal , mint , seaweed and some mixed summer fruits . On the palate this is quite fresh and slightly lean in style , quite rustic , bitty tannins and a herbal touch. Mixed summer fruits on the mid palate and a reasonable earthy tobacco tinged finish . Best drunk now and over the next few years on the basis of this bottle . — 4 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.7

2020 vintage. A class act, impeccably balanced, layered, concentrated and very elegant, with silky tannins and an impressive finish. — 4 months ago

K Brooks

9.1

Delicious wine for an anniversary dinner ($90). Pure fruit and nice acidity with Pat’s grilled filet mignon. — 4 months ago

Urvika Gupta

9.1

Definitely made me want to have an “Alter Ego”…. Doesn’t need to be decanted for long. smooth light drink but so delicious — 5 months ago

RustyR

9.3

Open Napa m. — 5 months ago

Noah Chasin

9.2

Initially concerns it was shot, three hours later it proved to be quite delightful. — 5 months ago

Veronica S

9.2

Prunes, leather, dark fruits, fig. Complex flavors for an aged wine. Still has plenty of tannins yet smooth to drink now. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2014 vintage. Last tasted 07.04.25 (9.3) and 01.30.25 (9.3). Decanted with some sed and tasted after 30 mins. Consistent with previous tastings in 2025. Hint of richness up front, then very businesslike afterwards. Fairly dry but began to fold a modicum of fruit into the proceedings a spell ago. Quintessential, affordable BDX with a decade of service tendered out in the boonies but back in town again and starting to hit the hot spots. Lean but not mean. Strike up the conversation in the next year or so and you two just might hit it off. 09.25.25. — 8 months ago

Daniel Jara

9.5

Vinazo ! Mi nuevo preferido, silky and smooth, redondo, taninos presentes , complejo — 9 months ago