Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020

Opaque colour with an explosion of rich black fruits, crushed gravel, exotic oak spices and a floral perfume. This wine possesses a tight structure with layered, silky tannins, great precision and breadth of flavours, underpinned by superb freshness. Very elegantly composed, with perfectly mastered power. Great finish, the flavours perfume the palate with endless persistence.

To add to the glorious 2018 & 2019, Ducru Beaucaillou marks its 300th anniversary with the richest wine in its history. The warm climatic conditions suit it well, allowing Ducru Beaucaillou to assert with great depth its aristocratic elegance.

The style of 2020 is reminiscent of the academic 2010 but with a higher concentration of flavours and greater density of anthocyanins and tannins, underlined with the Ducru’s trademark freshness, giving an exquisite, succulent texture.

2020  Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St. Julien Richly colored, the wine delivers a complex nose of cigar box, tobacco leaf, wet forest floor, camphor, red and black currants, blackberry and creme de cassis. Supple, sensuous, elegant and concentrated, the wine focuses on its refined character, purity of fruit and silky textures. Long, vibrant and incredibly refined, the finish builds as it lingers. This gem should start to really unfurl after its 10th birthday and provide fabulous drinking for 25-35 years after that. Not as powerful as some recent vintages, instead this is a stunningly graceful Ducru Beaucaillou. Produced from blending 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, 13.5% ABV. Picking took place September 11 - September 30. Yields were low at close to 30 hectoliters per hectare. 97-99  Pts

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, brought up in new oak, the 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou offers a gorgeously pure nose of crème de cassis, graphite, crushed stone, toasty oak, and lead pencil shavings. Full-bodied, concentrated, and structured, it reminds me of a hypothetical mix of the 2010 and 2016, offering serious concentration paired with a gorgeous sense of precision and purity. It's going to take a decade of cellaring to hit the early stages of maturity (it will have some up-front appeal if you're interested) yet evolve for 50 years or more. Along with the Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, it might be the wine of the vintage from the Médoc.
Barrel Sample: 97-99

Ducru Beaucaillou CC - 81% Cabernet Sauvignon + 19% Merlot. 13.5% alcohol. Very classic for the commune, dense and tight, refined, finesse, sophisticated, riveting structure and spectacular complexity. Luscious fruit and exquisitely grained tannin on midpalate, perfect balance. Classy and stylish. It is slightly under the extraordinary 2018 in performance, but I won’t be surprised if it will be better after ageing and bottling. 98+p.