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Ducru Beaucaillou 2021

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

Ducru Beaucaillou is on top form these days. Bruno Borie has made some very serious wines at Ducru in recent vintages with many vats previously destined for the grand vin now being used for the second or third labels. Bruno's policy is now to only select fruit from the heart of the Ducru vineyard, overlooking the estuary, for the Grand Vin. Ducru is clearly back where it belongs at the top of the super-second league. Replanting of key sites is ongoing in order to further improve the quality here.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Label

Tasting Notes

A wine that will delight Médoc purists, the 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of fully 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot and checks in at a mere 12.5% alcohol. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, violets, loamy soil and spices, it's full-bodied, layered and velvety, with superb depth at the core, lively acids and powdery tannins. Complete and penetrating, it's a true classic, reminiscent of a modern-day version of Ducru's brilliant 1996—though today's precision winemaking means that the 2021 is unlikely to go through so long a hibernation as that vintage.

94/96
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (260), April 2022

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou was picked at around 24hL/ha and matured in 100% new oak for 18 months, as is customary. It takes time to unfold in the glass, revealing intense blackberry, raspberry, iris flowers and a touch of spice. Very precise, though as expected, more understated than previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, saline entry and good grip. Classic in style, fanning out toward the finish, and briny on the aftertaste. This is a fascinating, almost old-school Ducru-Beaucaillou.

94/96
Neal Martin, vinous.com, May 2022

Only 20 hl/ha produced at Ducru this year with just 5,000 cases of grand vin. The Cabernet Sauvignon proportion is the highest in history at 98% with just a touch of Merlot. 12.5% abv. Vivid purple colour. Deep blackcurrant fruit showcases the near-all Cabernet fruit in this blend, wafting from the glass with cedar, sous bois and juniper. The palate is cool, driven and deep, a vertical wine with real drive of blackcurrant as on the palate. Sweet and spicy wood bolsters the fruit and adds some flesh, but this is cut back by chewy, rich and dense tannins. This saline and pure Ducru will need some time to unfurl but the long, saline finish promises a long life ahead.

93/95
Thomas Parker MW, Farr Vintners, April 2022

Firm, structured and pure with a cool and solid core of dark currants, blackberries, tar, pencil lead and bitter chocolate. Hints of tobacco, too. Firm but silky tannins. Very pure, with a long, mineral finish. Intense and very focused. 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% merlot.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2022

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, the highest-ever proportion of Cabernet, harvested from 21 September to 11 October. Deep garnet-purple colored, it features evocative notes of blackcurrant jelly, fresh plums, and black raspberries. Light-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins - beautifully ripe - with a lively backbone supporting the intense, tightly wound black fruits, leading to a long and earthy finish to this impressive wine. pH 3.88. 101 IPT.

92/94+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2022

Plush depth to the savoury black fruit, with the highest ever level of Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine, and it's a stand out in the vintage. Not the exuberance that you find in the most recent years of Ducru, but it is excellent, with a creaminess to the cassis fruit alongside rose petal and peony aromatics. Sculpted and seductive, with the austere tannins that are a signature of the year. 100% new oak, IPT 100.

96
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, April 2022

98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot. Record proportion of Cabernet in the blend. Cask sample.
Deep, bright purple hue. Elegant cedar, dark-fruit and cassis nose. Lovely depth of fruit, velvety texture, abundant but polished tannins and lingering freshness. Drives on the finish. A well-groomed thoroughbred. Pure, precise and long and a little more classic than recent years. (JL) 12.5%
Drink 2030 – 2050

17.5
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, May 2022
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.