Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2021

Richly scented and vibrant nose of dark fruits, liquorice and cocoa. Supple and invigorating, fresh acidity lifting the expression, nuanced and detailed. Softly grained tannins have a chalky aspect giving structure and a filling texture, lots of graphite and wet stones with black berry notes and such energy throughout. Juicy and alive, this is classic in the best sense, and has immediate charm but with the potential to age. I also love the fresh, zesty orange aspects and cool lift throughout.

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou, bottled in July 2023, has a classically styled bouquet: blackberry, iodine and, again, a conspicuous marine influence of kelp and sea spray. The nose has very fine delineation—cool, calm and collected. The palate is medium-bodied with fine depth, although there remains some new oak to be subsumed at the moment, and that partially shades the terroir toward the finish. But it is finely balanced and poised. A dash of black pepper on the aftertaste lingers in the mouth. This is a delightful, well-crafted Ducru-Beaucaillou that may merit a higher score down the line.

Classy and classic, elegant and refined, I love the purity of the red fruits here on the nose and on the palate. Produced from the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the estate’s history, with just a bit of effort you find its aromatic wealth displaying cherries, blackberries, tobacco leaf, flowers, mint, espresso, and spices. The palate is vibrant, regal, slightly firm, crisp, and energetic. The finish easily delivers its red berries with their spicy edge and a delicate sprig of mint. The wine blends 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot. Drink from 2027–2060.

Vivid, dark ruby with an opaque core and a narrow purple rim. Fine nuances of noble wood, black forest berries, cassis, blackberries, and a touch of fresh orange zest; a multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, fresh wild berries, subtle hints of cranberries, fine tannins, a lively, salty touch, very good length, elegant and vibrant; a wine with nobility.

The 2021 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of the top wines of the vintage. It’s based on 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, harvested from September 21 to October 10, that was vinified in wooden tronconic tanks and aged entirely in new barrels. It has a deep ruby/plum hue with classic Ducru notes of pure crème de cassis, graphite, crushed stone, and violets, with a kiss of background tobacco and spicy oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep, rich, and concentrated, it has a beautiful mid-palate, ripe, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. Checking in at 12.5% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.88, hats off to the genius of Bruno Borie and his team for producing a truly Grand Vin in this challenging vintage.

Its alluring bouquet releases plenty of dark cassis fruit, chocolaty notes, tar, and ethereal spice with medium fullness. The background promises significantly more power in the future, yet the concentration on display is already high, creating a tightly woven, impenetrable, yet seemingly light aromatic tapestry. Rich and ample, Ducru makes its presence felt right at the front of the palate and rises into a full-bodied, very concentrated wine that offers plenty of tannic spice and a powerful structure without spreading out. Extraction, as in recent years, has been driven to the maximum, and the body feels very generous. Only at the back does it become a little more delicate, without being slim. The 2021 is a structure-driven Saint-Julien with a firm handshake that recalls Pauillac. An absolutely dreamy trio from Margaux. Dark berry aromas stream ceaselessly down the center. Not maximally invasive, but rather racy and forceful in the classical sense. An exciting Ducru with a lot to say, which, at 12.5% abv, strikes me as more pleasant than some blockbuster vintages of the recent past.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 12.5% vol. alcohol) Dense, profound, elegant, fresh, silky, complex bouquet, cassis, candied raspberries, Black Currant, cedar, nougat, slate. Tightly woven, elegant, finely concentrated, multilayered palate with plenty of fine tannins, a delicately muscular, subtly creamy structure, dense, dark, fresh fruit, diverse, intense aromatics, very long, concentrated finish with many lingering flavors.

(98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 12.5% vol. alcohol) Dense, profound, elegant, fresh, silky, complex bouquet, cassis, candied raspberries, black currant, cedar, nougat, slate. Densely woven, elegant, finely concentrated, multi-layered palate with plenty of fine tannin, a finely muscular, delicately creamy structure, dense, dark, fresh fruit, varied, concentrated aromatics, very long, concentrated finish with many lingering flavors. 19/20 2030 - 2060

Still in barrel at the time of tasting (bottling due in August 2023), showing a seductive smoked cedar, soot and campfire character, layers of sculpted dark fruits, and rose-petal aromatics, this is well structured, softens on the mid-palate to reveal creamy blackberry and raspberry fruit, with a savoury salted cracker note. Unquestionably one of the wines to turn to within a challenging vintage, it really stands out. Harvest September 23 to October 11. 100% new oak. A tiny crop, below 20 hl/ha, which accounts for the high percentage of Cabernet. Emmanuel Bonneau technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant.

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, the 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps from the glass with bold notions of fresh blackcurrants, wild strawberries, lavender, and boysenberries, giving way to a pepper and spice-laced undercurrent. The light-bodied palate delivers impressive tension, with fine-grained tannins and vivacious black and red berry layers, finishing with a spicy kick.

Ducru is very impressive. Historically with the highest proportion of Cabernet (98%), it has incredible class. A great laser-cut aristocrat, with a fruit purity that shimmers on the palate. It takes a long time to fade on the finish.

95–97. Barrel Sample. This is a wine with enormous potential with rich tannins and dark black fruits. At the same time, it has lightness that gives it a lift of fine black currant fruits. It will age, of course.