Taking its name from its uniquely rocky terroir (“beau caillou” translates as “beautiful stones”), and Bertrand Ducru who purchased the estate in 1795, what we know today as Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou as a wine producing estate, has history stretches back to the 13th century.
Owned today by The Borie family (who have long-standing roots of their own in Bordeaux), the Chateau is, according to many, producing the best wines in their history at this very moment. The 2016 vintage has already been hailed as yet another monumental success for the winery with Antonio Galloni praising it as “simply magnificent”.
One of the all-time great Ducrus... The 1982 is still 5-8 years away from full maturity, but it exhibits a dense ruby/ plum/garnet colour to the rim as well as a sweet perfume of forest floor, spice box, cedar, and copious quantities of black fruits. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully pure with sweet tannins, this wine has aged more slowly than I initially expected. 96 points, Wine Advocate (6/2009).
This is a wine that I had forgotten about. It shows beautiful sweet tobacco, flowers, and currants on the nose. It’s full body, silky with fine tannins. It’s ready and pretty. 93 points, jamessuckling.com (1/2011).
Sweet, licorice nose and rather attractively pungent on the finish. Still a very good wine with such fruit intensity that I initially took it for a right bank wine. 17/20 points, jancisrobinson.com (3/2016).
Small but mighty, the appellation of St.-Julien, on Bordeaux’s Left Bank, has long enjoyed a reputation for exceptional quality and consistency. Compared to its neighbours in Bordeaux, St.-Julien produces the highest proportion of classified-growth wines, with more than three-quarters of the vineyards devoted to top-ranked producers. They include several “Super Second” chateaux and many other outstanding classified growths and Cru Bourgeois. Saint-Julien wines are beautifully balanced, with a great richness, depth of colour, and elegance. Cabernet Sauvignon prevails, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc used for blending in the classic Bordeaux style.
Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou is a prestigious second growth (Deuxième Cru Classé) Chateau in Saint-Julien. Owned by the Borie family, the estate has 75 ha of vineyards encircling the Chateau, running alongside the Gironde river and extending to the fringes of the town of St Julien. The vineyards anchored on deep gravel and pebble soils are planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. The Chateau is widely considered a ‘super-second’, consistently producing a deeply coloured rich and powerful wine with tremendous capacity to age. A second wine called La Croix de Beaucaillou is also produced.
