Château Ducru Beaucaillou, 2eme Cru Classé, St Julien
    Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

    Château Ducru Beaucaillou, 2eme Cru Classé, St Julien, 2020

    99/100
    The Wine Independent
    96-98/100
    Vinous
    Available Vintages
    portfolio
    1. Last Few

      2020

      75cl

      DP

      £195.59

    2. Last Few

      2020

      6x75cl

      DP

      £1,173.53

    Broking
    1. 2020

      6x75cl

      DP

      £987.53

    Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

    This is the tricentenary of Ducru Beaucaillou, so it’s no surprise that Bruno Borie has pulled out all the stops. As ever, he has been looking to the stars, noticing the conjuncture with the Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. We’re not sure this has any bearing on the vintage, but it’s a neat metaphor if ever he needed one to explain how everything aligned perfectly for his 2020s! And tasting them, you may well think there’s been some celestial intervention. It’s a great range, topped by a truly superb Ducru Beaucaillou. The drought resulted in tiny berries, weighing just 1g for the Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.2g for Merlot, packed with tannins and anthocyanins. Despite the powerful raw materials, the Ducru team has extracted a wonderful essence without any excess. It feels classical and dialled down, a departure from recent Ducru style, more about freshness, gravitas and elegance. Initially slightly shrouded but you can sense there’s a lot going on… slowly berry aromas emerge, floral griotte notes and violets, exotic spices and gravelly cassis. On the palate it’s all there: serious, muscular, controlled, not the usual decadence, this is restrained, less expressive, but no less impressive, this is a serious, precise Ducru that will require time in bottle. Lots of depth, classical, fresh; exquisite tannins provide a sense of composure and persistence with wonderful presence and length. A superb and very serious Ducru. 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot.

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    Critic Reviews

    99/100
    Lisa Perrotti-Brown,
    The Wine Independent
    The 2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou, 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, is deep garnet-purple in color. Classic notes of cassis, cedar, and graphite open out to nuances of menthol, tilled soil, tobacco, and violets. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and savory, with grainy tannins and a long minerally finish. This is classic Ducru.
    drinking window 2028 - 2068
    date of review 09/2023
    96-98/100
    Neal Martin,
    Vinous
    The 2020 Ducru Beaucaillou was picked from 11-30 September, matured entirely in new oak for an expected 18 months. It has a very succinct bouquet, not one that leaps from the glass and demands attention, but it unfolds slowly, at its own pace, revealing enticing scents of blackberry, cedar, iris petals and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. There is a saline spine that runs through this Saint-Julien from start to finish, a quite enormous structure that exerts grip towards the finish. It is not a Ducru-Beaucaillou that goes out to deliver finesse or understatement, but one that you will have to cellar for a few years, pull out and have the superlatives ready. This is an immense and cerebral Ducru-Beaucaillou from Bruno Borie and his team.
    drinking window 2031 - 2065
    date of review 05/2021

    product details

    Specifications

    Country:
    France
    Region:
    Bordeaux
    Appellation:
    St Julien
    style:
    Red Wine
    Grape Variety:
    Cab Sauvignon Merlot
    abv:
    12.5%

    allergen information

    This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.