Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2024

Dark ruby; the nose shows great depth, cassis, blackberries, floral notes, the aromatic complexity is only beginning to take shape, yet there is a truly great wine in the glass; on the palate, a mouthful of wine, rich, concentrated, gliding weightlessly across the tongue, sensational tannin quality, perfectly judged acidity, long, saline finish. Undoubtedly one of the best wines of the vintage.

Lovely aromatics on the nose, deep vivid purple. Floral scents and lots of Cabernet markers, dried mint, clove, aniseed and blackcurrants. Cool and crunchy straight away, this has a gorgeous smooth texture with ripe and concentrated fruit. I like this, it feels restrained and not overdone with a silky fruit profile and firm but fine tannins. There's a softness to this and a long length with a push of flavour. It has a deep, dark fruit aspect - not too sharp or sour, balanced in terms of acidity and fruit with wet stones, graphite and liquorice on the finish. Elegant and enjoyable. 3.8pH.

Asian spices, violets, flowers, saffron, licorice, and black with red currants define the perfume. The palate is lifted, juicy, and focused. There is balance between the wine's energy, purity, and vibrancy, which produces a classic-styled wine (in a good way). The energetic finish is enhanced by the wine's chalky tannins and crispness on the backend. Produced from blending 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 14% Merlot, 13.34% ABV, 3.81 pH. Picking took place from September 23 -- October 7. Yields were 24 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2028-2055. 94-96 Pts

The bouquet, sumptuous and alluring, evokes old-rose silk velvet dressing a beauty preparing for a ball. We are in an elegant, luxurious universe, with notes of damson plum and wild blackberry, the brightness of a fruit coulis, subtly spiced. The palate is powerful, concentrated, enveloping, with sophisticated black-fruit notes and rocky accents, featuring a supple, satiny tannin grain. A fresh line arrives on the finish, unfolding notes of graphite. You feel the tension, the acidity that underpins the substance. A wine with a strong identity.

The nose is fruity, racy and elegant, offering freshness, minerality, depth, complexity, a lovely texture and a fine floral, discreetly sappy edge. It reveals notes of fresh blackberry, pulpy blackcurrant and, more slightly, bright small red berries, combined with discreet touches of fruit flirting with an elegant roasted character, as well as a delicate hint of star anise, cherry blossom, subtle hints of infusion and a nearly blood-orange nuance. The palate is nicely juicy and fruity, with a fresh framework, juiciness, suppleness, indulgence, a finely crafted texture, creaminess, delicate richness, energy, balanced concentration, a tangy lift, and a lovely bright, silky fruit. A beautiful iodine-tinged mid-palate, finely floral and textured. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of boysenberry, dense small black fruits and, more slightly, elegant roasted raspberry, combined with touches of wild small black fruits, bergamot, infusion, a hint of roasting, cornflower, juniper berries, cocoa nibs, iodized/saline minerality, and a subtle sappy note. The tannins are plush and sappy. A subtle hint of graphite appears on the finish/persistence. Good length and persistence.

A gorgeously vivid, lifted nose, with floral aromatics, dark berry and cassis fruits, fleshy but understated, elegant and finessed, squid ink, sandalwood, incense, maintains estate signature and is full of pleasure, 100% new oak for ageing, 3.8 pH. Harvest 23 September to 7 October.