2017 Ducru Beaucaillou Bordeaux Red

2017 Ducru Beaucaillou

98 JD

Featured Review

One of the wines of the vintage in the Medoc, the 2017 Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou comes from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot from tiny yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Brought up in new barrels, it offers stunning notes of pure creme de cassis, unsmoked tobacco, lead pencil, and crushed rocks. Showing a touch of spring flowers with air, full-bodied richness and depth, awesome tannin quality, and a laser-like level of precision and purity, it’s going to need a decade of cellaring yet will have 40-50 years of prime drinking. Hats off to proprietor Bruno Borie for another magical wine. Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD

Attractive, intense aromas of ripe blueberries, currants and more savory, tarry notes, as well as iodine, violets and cassis. The palate has a supple and succulent feel. This is cabernet in outright seductive mode, offering such fluid tannins and mouth-filling length. A blend of 90% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot. One of the stars of the vintage. Drink or hold.

James Suckling | 98 JS

Deep ruby in colour, the tannins are confident and there is a good building of layers and power despite the still-evident austerity. As it opens up, you get cigar box, vanilla bean, liquorice, black chocolate and layers of gourmet flavours after a carafe (we tried it with and without). No need to worry too much about that, as you're not going to want to be drinking this yet but it gives a good indication of the fact that this is going to progress well and steadily, and is an excellent example of the vintage. Bottled in July. It will be ready significantly before the 2016 but probably after the 2015. This has clear tension and a sense of purity to the fruit flavours. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2025 - 2038.

Decanter | 96 DEC

Deep purple-black in color, the 2017 Ducru-Beaucaillou slowly unfurls to reveal beautifully fragrant notes of warm kirsch, wild blueberries, fresh red and black currants and violets with wafts of underbrush and Earl Grey tea. Medium-bodied, the palate has great freshness and elegance, with very well-played, plush tannins and bags of perfumed fruit, finishing on a lingering spicy note. The wine was aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

The 2017 Ducru-Beaucaillou is racy, deep and opulently beautiful. In 2017, Ducru is very red-fruited and floral, with tons of inner sweetness and nuance to match its sumptuous, exotic personality. Mint, spice, chocolate and licorice accents add character as the 2017 gains brightness, aromatic purity and detail with a bit of air. Bruno Borie gave the 2017 18 months in 100% new oak. Along with Beychevelle, Ducru is the most flamboyant wine in Saint-Julien. Tasted two times.

Vinous Media | 96 VM

While the dense and dark tannins are prominent, they can't mask the exuberant fruit that wants to burst out. Blackberry flavors are impressively ripe and rich, shot through with acidity that gives the wine salinity as well as freshness. At the back, those tannins will allow the wine to age over many years. Don't drink before 2024.

Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

A suave and seductive wine, with a beautifully caressing mouthfeel to the layers of warmed plum, steeped boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors. Licorice snap, mesquite, wood spice and black tea notes swirl around as the fruit plays out. A graphite spine carries the finish effortlessly. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2038. 6,666 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Type of Wine	Bordeaux Red : Picture in your mind a combination of cedar, lead pencil, blackcurrant, plum and mineral aromatics, and texture that caresses your palate like a playful lover. The experience is thrilling from the first whiff to the final seconds of a tannic, generous finish - that is what you'll get from a Bordeaux Red
Varietal	Bordeaux Blend
Country	France : Wine is the lifeblood that courses through the country of France, pulsing with vigorous pride and determination. Viticulture is not just a hobby or an occupation in France; it is a passion, a cherished tradition that has been passed down through generations of wine stained hands. Winemaking is a beloved art that has been ingrained in the culture, an aptitude instilled in sons by fathers and the hallmark for which France’s reputation was built, allowing it to be renowned as, arguably, the most important wine producing country in the world. For centuries, France has been producing wines of superior quality and in much greater quantity than any other country in the world. It boasts some of the most impressive wine regions, coveted vineyards and prestigious wines on earth. The regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Sauternes and Champagne have become the benchmark, for which others aspire to become. Legendary producers such as Chateaux Margaux, Domaine De La Romanee Conti, Chapoutier, d’Yquem and Dom Perignon are idolized world-wide. France has stamped its name on nearly every style of wine, from the nectar-like sweet Sauternes to hedonistic Chateauneuf Du Papes classic Bordeaux and Burgundy, to its sparkling dominance in Champagne. Many of the most infamous grape varietals in the world, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay originated in France and are not only beloved, but utilized in the creation of some of the greatest wines on earth. French wine production commands the attention of the wine market year after year. With over 860,000 hectares under vine, and numbers close to 50 million hectoliters of wine produced annually, France dominates the market and sets the standard for not only product quality, but also quantity. France’s many contributions to the world of wine have been absolutely indispensable. The country is the originator of the term “Premier Cru,” coined the term Terroir (a French term so complex there is no literal translation) and has laid the blueprint for a structured appellation system, which others have implemented in their own countries. French vineyard techniques and winemaking practices are mimicked world-wide. California vintners have been replicating Rhone style wines for decades, South America has adopted the French varietal of Malbec and countries around the world are imitating Burgundian styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With vast diversity in terroir, France is home to some of the most hospitable winegrowing locations on earth. The combination of topography, geology, climate, rainfall and even the amount of sunlight combined with the long historical tradition of winegrowing and making, has allowed the vintners of France to not only hone their skills, but learn from nature to create a product that like the world in which it resides… is very much alive.