Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou
2nd Growth Grand Cru Classe
Saint Julien
2016

The producer

Ducru-Beaucaillou – 2^nd Growth in Saint-Julien – has been owned by the Borie family for three generations. A consistent performer for many decades, the 21^st century has seen even greater effort and consistency in offering the finest wines which these vineyards can produce.

Situated in the south-east of the Saint-Julien appellation, the main part of the estate is located close to the Gironde River, thus taking advantage of its moderating effects on the vines. The immense care taken in the vineyards, along with very selective picking at harvest, sorting and separate vinification of the various plots, results in an extremely polished and superb version of Saint Julien.

One of the oldest estates in Bordeaux, Ducru-Beaucaillou’s history dates back to the start of the 13^th century. Bertrand Ducru purchased the estate in 1795 and added his name to the estate. The Borie family started the modern era at the estate in the early 20^th century. With roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, Ducru-Beaucaillou offers early charm and grace but can age and improve for decades.

The wine

Grapes for the Grand Vin is sourced from vineyards immediately surrounding the chateau in the southeast of Saint-Julien. The blend varies with vintage conditions but can comprise anywhere from 80% and up to 98% Cabernet Sauvignon with 2% Merlot. Fermentation takes place in a mix of stainless steel, concrete, and wooden vats, and is followed by 18 months of ageing in 100% new French oak barrels.

Ducru-Beaucaillou offers early charm and grace but can age and improve for decades, one of the most polished wines in the appellation, it has delicate aromatics, yet layers of concentrated black fruit and complexity, with a very firm structure of silky tannins and beautiful freshness.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.