Madame de Beaucaillou 2022

Candid and fruit-driven, with cherries, blackberries and a subtle roasted note; fruit-forward on the palate as well, with fine, already well-integrated tannins; spicy, slightly fiery finish.

66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot. 70% grapes from Listrac, 30% from Cussac. Cask sample. Muscular and modern. Deep purple-black hue. Plenty of ripe fruit but robust and firm as well. Slight chew on the finish. (JL)

The 2022 Madame de Beaucaillou is an elegant, polished wine. Crushed flowers, bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and white pepper are all beautifully lifted. Mid-weight and gracious, with terrific purity, the Madame de Beaucaillou is a gorgeous wine from proprietor Bruno Borie and his team at Ducru-Beaucaillou.

Dark black fruits and flowers shine in the perfume. The palate shows off sweet black cherries, blackberries, and chocolate with just a swirl. Drink this on release, or age it for more complexity. If I owned it, I would be popping a cork on release. The wine blends 66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV. Drink from 2025–2037.

Deep dark ruby garnet colour with an opaque core and purple reflections, delicate brightening at the rim. Black cherries, subtle notes of blackberries, delicate floral nuances, a touch of orange zest. Juicy, elegant, ripe plums, vivid tannins, mineral and salty finish, chocolatey aftertaste.

The 2022 Madame De Beaucaillou (66% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Petit Verdot) is brilliant, with a dense ruby/plum hue as well as powerful aromatics of crème de cassis, ripe black cherries, spicy wood, and smoky tobacco. This rich, medium- to full-bodied, layered, concentrated beauty way over-delivers. Drink bottles over the coming decade or so.

Restrained start, red-berry contours, sandalwood, lingonberry juice and light tobacco. On the juicy palate with a creamy texture, supportive tannins and medium body. In the focused aromatic finish, morello cherry, tobacco leaf and finely sandy astringency. 30% was sold as bulk wine, and you can tell, as the wine is more concentrated than usual!

From the winemaking team at Château Ducru Beaucaillou, this wine’s full title is Madame de Beaucaillou, Hommage à Madame Eugène Borie (owner Bruno Borie’s mother), and it is drawn from 55ha across the appellation, 35ha of Listrac, 11ha of Cussac Fort Medoc and the rest Moulis, all declassified into Haut-Médoc. It’s a success in 2022, and you’ll see some of the glamour of the mother ship Ducru, although expect the full concentration of the vintage. Plenty of Left Bank signature here, black fruits threaded through the spice notes. Yields of 29 hl/ha.

An aromatic nose of ripe fruit with a musky touch. Soft and caressing on the palate, with a lifting vein of acidity and powdery tannins.

Aged 100% in barrels (25% new) for this wine from vines spread across Listrac, Moulis and Cussac. The bouquet shows good intensity with fruity notes, while the oak élevage remains in the background. Slightly creamy on the attack, the wine is compact and carried by powerful yet well-integrated tannins. Their austerity ensures freshness and a persistent finish. A promising wine that needs a little time to soften and can already be enjoyed in its youth.

Grippy and firm on the palate, the tannins take hold with blackcurrant, fragrant plums, liquorice spice, tobacco and a stony element. There’s a flash of heat at first but it then settles with a cooling touch on the finish. High acidity meets plenty of brooding spice and bitterness, delivering ample flavour with a lingering bite. Unfussy, but it has personality.

92-94 Barrel sample. A blend of a number of Haut-Médoc estates owned by the Borie family, the wine is spicy, ripe with firm tannins wrapped inside a comfortable richness. At this stage, the wood is showing of course, but so is the ripe black fruit.