David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

A first look in on 3-4 bottles purchased from Rob Brost at just over $30.

Nose of nearly overripe floral fruits of; blackberries, creamy black raspberries, dark cherries, poached/slightly baked strawberries, boysenberries & plum. Dry twigs, sandalwood, undertones of crush rocks/limestone, mid berry cola, dark, red florals framed in liquid violets & lavender.

The palate shows nearly overripe, juicy & floral fruits of; blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, poached/slightly baked strawberries, boysenberries & plum. Dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, soft nutmeg, anise-black licorice, moist, grey clay, drip roasted coffee, dry twigs, barrel shaving dust, undertones of crush rocks/limestone, dry stone, dark spice, light, dry herbs, mid berry cola, dark, red florals framed in liquid violets & lavender, great, rainfall acidity and a smooth, elegant, richly polished finish that last 45 seconds. — 15 days ago

Doug Powers

9.4

Still shows some lovely primary redfruits, cassis, currants, quite tannic as well (characteristic of the 1986s I cellared), long, lingering finish, should show even better after my wife’s grilled lamb and my grilled steak come off the grill. I will say I was nervous when the final 1/8-inch of the cork severed off my old Ah-So cork puller, but not a problem!

Interesting sidebar — I purchased this upon arrival in 1989 at K&L in SF — by that time there were widespread reports of bad corks in Ducru from (at least) 1985 and 1986, so when I visited the shop I explained the situation and committed to purchasing 6 bottles, but only if I knew this batch didn’t have the cork problems — so, I said I’d pay for another bottle and we could open it together in the shop, I’d pay and also buy the other 6 bottles if it was NOT corked, and said if it was corked, then they’d pay for the opened bottle and I wouldn’t take the 6 other bottles — they agreed, we mutually tried the bottle then and there, no cork taint so I paid for 7 bottles total.

Telling the story in part because K&L has always been, IMHO, one of the classiest wine shops in the U.S., and they deserve credit agreeing to my deal (BTW, Wine Advocate had written about the cork taint issue within the preceding 3-6 months, so they were aware of the potential for it) — anyway, they’ve gotten a lot more of my business in the past 35+ years since!! — a month ago

with Jim

Skip Smyser

9.7

Visiting an old friend. Now I'm down to 2 bottles in my cellar . I bought a case 25 years ago and every once in awhile I enjoy this ageless wine. It still has a soft mid pallet lingering red berry and tannic flavor. The richness of this Cabernet has done nothing but improve over the years. I dare say it will not further improve but hopefully it will linger at this quality level.the mouth feel is an experience in and of its self. What a wonderful treat🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

8.9

1986 vintage. Ripped through six bottles (one corked) for a 1986 BDX dinner @ Mister A's-San Diego. All bottles appropriately aged fill and decent+ corks. Double decanted and tasted over the course of 5 hours. Mix of powdery and stubborn (non-chunky) sed amongst the 6 bottles. Light-medium body throughout. Somewhat muted experience overall. None of the bottles (with variation) shone/sung. Wine is firmly on the downside of the bell curve with best days behind it (based on the 5 + corked bottle examples). There was none of the usual P-L flavor markers but the body hung in there. Pains me to say this but drink up now unless you've got a larger format bottle. Maggie (+) would probably yield a higher score. 3.14.24. — a month ago

Brandon Boesch

9.2

Too young. Needed hours of air. Disjointed. A good amount of acidity. Some fruit showing through. There’s a lot of spice and herbs too. Will hold other bottles for a long while. — 2 months ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

1949 vintage (!!!). Very special half bottle, but more than half the volume lost to evaporation. Opened this gem at Totoraku yesterday to go with two full bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, 1996 and 1952 (!!). This Temple of Beef demands special occasion wines. Cork fell apart in the bottle so we poured it all in a decanter but did not wait to sip. Pale strawberry-orange color, surprising tart fruit nose, supremely delicate taste with just a bit of fruit and life left. Not the best bottle on the table but certainly not the undrinkable. Interesting experience. Would gladly do it again in the name of science. Oldest Red Bordeaux I have ever tasted. — 5 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1986 vintage. Sampled five bottles for a 1986 BDX tasting @ Mister A's in San Diego. Double decanted and tasted over four hours. Medium body. Pretty rustic early on and that stayed consistent till the end. Opened up a little later with a splash of bright cherry fruit. Should stay the course for another 5-6 years. 3.14.24 — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

1986 vintage. Sampled 5 bottles for a BDX dinner at Mister A's-San Diego. Double decanted and tasted through 5 hours. Rustic and chunky. Zero finesse but it's Montrose. Can hold steady at this quality for another 7-8 years easy. 3.14.24. — a month ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

1995 vintage. Great fill, foil and label. Perfect cork. From a top-notch cellar. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Volcanic ash-styled sed vs chunky-style. Big funk on the nose that resolved after 7-8 minutes. Wine was showing decently (in the 69-72 degree range) but lacking any tannic structure. Placed the decanter atop an ice bucket bath to drop the temp down to 60 degrees or so. Took about 20 minutes but the tannins kicked in the door to say hello. Fruit components stayed constant. Pauillac tendencies were all there. As is the case often with older BDX, the decaying matter/leaves at the onset transitioned to graphite/lead pencil and espresso flavors. This was a superior bottle in great shape. Top of this wine’s specific bell curve. Comparable bottles would look to be drinking this well for the next 5-7 years without dropoff. Out of larger format…could possibly push this into 9.4 status. 2.5.24. — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Celebrating with a couple of fun bottles tonight. 2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A stunning dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: lightly fragrant notes of stewed red fruit, cassis, floral, little cigar box, herbaceous. Taste: silky, elegant, soft wine with a great mix of dark plum, currants, iron, scorched earth, tobacco, and cedar/bitter chocolate medium plus finish. YUM! Drinks well with the decant and more time to go. — 6 months ago