Wine Advocate 97 points - Bruno Borie has done a fabulous job at Ducru Beaucaillou. The 2003 may be the greatest Ducru produced in the last 3-4 decades, and the 2005 is not far behind. A more backward style of wine with higher tannin, more elevated acids, and extremely high alcohol (13.6%) for this estate, its inky/purple color is followed by notes of sweet cassis and plums intermixed with licorice, crushed rocks, and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied and structured with a whoppingly long finish, it needs 8-10 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030+. It is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. (92-94)
2005 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU ST. JULIEN
"The 2005 Ducru Beaucaillou is a 10,000-case blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot (they used to produce 18,000-20,000 cases). It is an exceptionally powerful wine with a dense purple color, superb intensity, and a beautiful, sweet nose of spring flowers, raspberries, blueberries, graphite, and creme de cassis. Full-bodied with fabulous concentration, exceptionally high tannin, good acidity, and massive layers of richness that build incrementally on the palate, this monumental effort is more structured than their outstanding 2003. It may be the finest wine produced at this estate since the 1982 and 1961 Ducrus. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050." Robert Parker 97 Points
| Technical notes |
| The 75 hectares of the Ducru Beaucaillou vineyard stretch out along the eastern side of this vast communal terroir, hugging the river in the area where the quaternary gravels are the deepest. The stones have many advantages, enhancing soil drainage, reflecting the sun on the grapes in these closely planted vines, storing heat in the daytime and restoring it at night, affording a protective cover to the soil against desiccation during the hot summer months, and so on. The clay subsoil regulates the water supply of the vines, soaking up the surplus rain during wet periods and giving it back during droughts. |
