| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This wine is made by the team at Ducru Beaucaillou from vines situated a little further away from the estuary - near Talbot and Lagrange. The 2018 is 60% Merlot with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and will be aged in 40% new oak.
A red with lots of blackberry and currant aromas and flavors. Full body, firm tannins and a salty finish. Minerally.
A newcomer to the Ducru-Beaucaillou stable, Le Petit Ducru wine was formerly called Lalande-Borie. It is essentially a third wine, coming from part of the vineyard of Ducru-Beaucaillou. The 2018 Le Petit Ducru is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged for 12 months in barrel, in one-third new oak. It has an alcohol of 14.5%. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with wonderfully pure scents of black and red currants, black raspberries and mulberries plus suggestions of tobacco leaf, bay leaves and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling juicy black fruits flavors with soft tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with an herbal lift. Drink: 2021 - 2033
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. Blended end December. 40% new barrels. Barrel sample.
Black core. Dark, ripe and spicy. Lively even though the fruit is so dark it is almost savoury. Dry, firm and still rounded on the finish. (JH) 14.5%
Drink 2024-2032
Bright ruby in colour with pure black cherries and light black pepper on the nose. The palate is juicy and crunchy, with ripe black fruits and lightly chalky tannins. There is some exuberance, richness and glossyness here, but it is still a charming, approachable wine that will drink well in its youth.
(60 Merlot, 40 Cabernet Sauvignon) | 40% new oak for 12 months | 14.5% alc | 3.77 pH | 90 IPT Even though Merlot leads the way it behaves like Cabernet in this wine. As Bruno Borie explained rather cryptically, ‘the Merlot was Médoc before being Merlot’. This is an extraordinary wine with incredible impact and depth and it is a stunning example of Lalande Borie with amazing balance on board already. It will drink soon and then it will age for longer than expected, too. Without doubt the most remarkable Lalande-Borie I have ever seen, this is a superb wine from start to finish.
The 2018 Lalande-Borie is composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a pH of 3.77 and 14.5% alcohol. It is to be aged 12 months in barriques, 30% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up gregarious notions of baked black cherries, warm blackberries and cassis with hints of pencil lead, camphor and underbrush plus a waft of Sichuan pepper. Full-bodied with bags of black fruit, it has a plush frame and just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy.
