| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Bruno Borie's relentless pursuit of excellence at Ducru Beaucaillou has resulted in the production levels of the Grand Vin falling by around 50%. The chief beneficiary of the draconian selection process here is this - the second label - which contains fruit that was once always used for Ducru itself. The vines are situated near to Leoville Barton. Really a single vineyard separate wine and it now featuring a striking new label designed by Jade Jagger.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Pristine, attractive fruit with perfume and freshness. Dark-berry and plum notes, as well as cassis and brambleberries, define the character of both nose and palate. The tannins are saturated in ripe dark berries and plums and deliver a superbly fresh, shimmering, dark-fruited finish. Wow-factor is strong here in 2016. Try this from 2024.
Produced from Gunz gravels on south-facing slopes, with their high iron-oxide content. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, with a 3.65ph and aged in 60% new oak barrels. The grapes were picked from 27th September to 5th October, taking advantage of the first rains of September but not those of October. Here they have the benefits of the fresh air from the Garonne river that Ducru looks out over, so long, slow ripening of the grapes is evident in a cooling, fresh finish that adds lift and juice to the black cherry fruits. Lovely spice evident through the palate also.
Drinking Window 2025 - 2040
Tasted blind. Glamorous fruit and very polished. Punches above its weight. Sleek.
Drink 2025 – 2038
Deep ruby-purple in the glass. Deep and dark fruited on the nose, accented with all spice and incense. The palate is intense with cassis and framed by chalky, ripe tannins. There is plush, sweet oak that rounds out the mouthfeel. Succulent and ripe, yet measured, this complex and generous. The tannins build to the finish, so if opening now it would be best to decant first. The finish is long, spicy and complex, suggesting that it will drink well for 15+ years.
The second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou is the 2016 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou and it looks to be serious wine in its own right, which makes sense as since 2005 it comes from a designated vineyard. Graphite, cassis, ripe plums and smoked herb notes all emerge from this medium-bodied, pure, elegant 2016 that shows the concentration and purity of the vintage. 2018 - 2033
Rich fruit the nose has depth the palate sweet ripe black fruits. The tannins are discreet polishedthe mid palate has powerful flavours rich ripe fruit all balanced by freshness at the back the finish lighter and fragrant. 2026-39
Not a second wine, says Bruno Borie with defiance, but a vineyard selection from the central part of the estate, this is a delicious St Julien, combining perfume with structure, concentration with freshness and balance. Long and beautifully balanced. 2024-32
The 2016 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that is matured in 60% new oak for 12 months and the remainder in one-year-old barrels. It has quite a rich and opulent bouquet, quite glossy with scents of kirsch, crushed strawberry, crème de cassis and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sumptuous tannin counterbalance but a keen thread of acidity (the pH is 3.65). There is great tension here, immense purity with quite a structured, almost flinty finish that is classic in style. Though it is a Deuxième Vin, it deserves several years in bottle. Drink 2022 - 2045.
This is very tight and focused with blackberries, blackcurrants and licorice. Lots of crushed stones, too. Full-bodied, tightly wound and pretty. Exciting second wine from Ducru.
Bright, deep crimson. Tastes so dramatic that it's on the edge – almost camembert notes. Lots of spiciness and glamour and then the oak insists a bit. The new oak is a tad obvious at the moment. 13.44%
Drink 2026-2040
