This soft, fruity St.-Julien reveals a touch of herbaceousness along with good red and black currant fruit, a round, consumer-friendly attack and medium body. It tails off slightly in the finish. It should drink well for 6-8 years.

This St.-Julien is always made in a consumer friendly style with elegant berry fruit, roasted herb, dusty earth and sweet currant and cherry notes. The supple 2011 is lighter than usual, but pleasant and ideal for drinking over the next 5-6 years.

This St.-Julien is actually made at Ducru Beaucaillou and is designed to offer exuberant cassis fruit with an unmistakable northern Medoc personality. The dense ruby/purple 2009 is delicious, with low acidity and lots of cassis, Christmas fruitcake and spice box. The wine is medium to full-bodied, has no hard edges, and is an attractive, velvety wine to drink over the next 7-8 years. A sleeper of the vintage.

Round and soft with notes of herbs, black currants, cedar, and spice box, the 2007 Hortevie possesses very good ripeness, a generous, medium-bodied mouthfeel, and no hard edges. Consume it over the next 3-4 years.

If St.-Julien produced a fruit bomb, this would be it. Herbal, olive, black cherry, cedar, and cassis notes emerge from this succulent, full-bodied, seductive, plush 2005. Impressively endowed with medium to full body, beautiful purity, and notes of cassis fruit intermixed with licorice, tar, pepper, and crushed rocks, this is fresh, tannic, vibrant, and more delineated than the 2004, but still amazing. It should drink well for 10-15 years or longer.