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Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 2018

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Bordeaux, France

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Bordeaux France
  • 100
    Points
  • The 151 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 11 Pros of
    11 recommend
    this wine
250 100
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    125

  • Producer ranking ?

    1

  • Decanting time

    4h

  • When to drink

    from 2025

  • Food Pairing

    Beef

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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98-99 JAMES SUCKLING: "This is so layered and beautiful with incredible tannin quality. Full-bodied with a caressing texture that reminds me of the finest cashmere. So layered. You want to swallow this. Brings a smile to the face. Wow. So well crafted." 

95-98 ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a wine of pure and total sensual beauty. Layers of intense fruit nearly cover the massive tannins that lurk beneath. Sweet floral notes...

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The Story

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou is named after the beautiful, large stones found in its unique wine-growing terroir. This exceptional ecosystem produces fine, elegant, tasty wines, with a long finish – in short, archetypal Saint-Julien wines.

Perched on an exceptional site with incomparable views over the Gironde estuary, in the centre of a hundred-year-old park, Ducru-Beaucaillou is a majestic, Victorian-style castle, which has, over time, becom...

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Vintage 2018

Report and recommendations for the 2018 Bordeaux vintage

by Andrew Caillard MW

2018 is an exceptional year. Bordeaux whites and Sauternes are very good, but from an Australian perspective, the excitement is all in the red wines. All sub-regions produced examples of very good wines, but some performed better than others. Generally, the largest estates have made exemplary wines illustrating that the human factor and wealth can have a major...

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

 Inky, almost fully opaque in color, aromatically, the wine pops with its showy display of dark red and black fruits, flowers, licorice, smoke, espresso, dark chocolate, and cigar box. But, the showy aromatics pale in comparison to the incredibly rich, opulent, full-bodied, lush palate. The non-stop layers of velvet-drenched fruits stop you in your tracks! The wine blends 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Merlot. This is a clear candidate for 100 Pts as it develops. Drink from 2028-2065.

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  • 99p

Tasted twice - last time in April 2021 in Copenhagen. Consistent notes. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon + 15% Merlot. It was a giant of a wine, which combined perfectly power and elegance, and was incredibly well-constructed and complex with riveting structure. Creamy fruit and exquisitely grained tannin, perfect balance. Classy and stylish. As eternal as it promised to be from the barrel. It must be the best wine from this property in recent times I've ever tasted!

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  • 99p

I was slightly disappointed in the 2018 Château Duhart-Milon, and while it's certainly a beautiful wine, it's not in the same league as the 2009, as I thought when tasting it from barrel. Nevertheless, it has impressive notes of red and black currants, new leather, tobacco leaf, and lead pencil shavings to go with a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant style on the palate. It has some up-front appeal, as the tannins are ripe and polished, yet it's going to improve over the coming 4-6 years or so and should hold nicely for 20 years or more.

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  • 93p

Dark purple red colour with violet hue and black core. Expressive and multi-layered, surprisingly open nose with aroma reminiscent of dark berries, ripe plums, violets an hints of graphite with an elegant roasting aroma and spiciness in the background. On the palate opulent, in the same moment tight and well structured, rich and elegant, complex with excellent depth and length, ripe fruit, mild spices and fine toasting flavour lingering in the aftertaste. A great wine with enormous potential.

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  • 97p

Ruby. Blueberries, anise, dark fruity nose, spices, ripe and rich nose, dense. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, alcohol, dark fruity, ripe, rich, dense, spicy, warm finish. Muscular. 95-97

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  • 97p

Deep colour. Dense dark chocolate. Black currant mocha aromas. Well concentrated wine with dark chocolate dark cherry, cassis flavours, plentiful fine grainy tannins, underlying roasted chestnut, spicy notes. Builds up very firm with long mineral acidity. Not as upfront as La Croix but really well balanced and classic.

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  • 98p

This wine is powered by tannins and a firm texture. Dense, it has the potential for plenty of fruit as it matures. That will take time, because this impressive wine is powered by its structure.

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  • 97p
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Information

Origin

St.Julien, Bordeaux

Inside Information

97-99 THE WINEADVOCATE: "The 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, to be aged 18 months in 100% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.7, 14.5% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 95. Very deep purple-black in color, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant, showy scents of cinnamon stick, wilted roses, star anise, fallen leaves and Ceylon tea with a core of blackcurrant cordial, black cherry compote, violets, chocolate mint and espresso plus a waft of crushed rocks. Full-bodied, opulent and decadently fruited with layer upon layer of black/blue fruit and floral nuances, it has an exquisitely ripe, fine-grained frame and fantastic freshness supporting the multifaceted, beguiling fruit, finishing with tons of fragrant flowers and mineral sparks. At once beautifully elegant and wonderfully bold. About 7,000 cases of the grand vin will be produced, really focusing on the area around the estate."

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