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Wine Description
The Story
This newcomer is a selection derived from our St-Julien vineyards. An affectionate and informative name that already tells wine lovers something about its positioning and its ambitions.
Le Petit Ducru portends an introduction to the Borie signature, a courteous invitation to approach the qualities of its elders, Ducru-Beaucaillou and La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou; from its complexity to its structure, by way of its balance and its elegance. There is, of course, a family resemblance, a wonderful complicity between the three nectars. They know what they have in common: a rigorous technical process, drastic selection, demanding winemaking. Here, barrel ageing lasts for 12 months with one-third new oak. A Cabernet-Merlot blend and depending on the vintage, sometimes with a hint of Petit Verdot, varietal that we know to be a skillful sculptor.
A nod also to the history of the estate, specifically to one of the former owners, Bertrand Ducru (1770-1829), a brilliant and worldly merchant from the Bearn region of France, situated along the flanks of the western Pyrenees mountains. Powerful and well established, he bought the property in 1797 (16 Vendémiaire, year 6) and added his surname to that of the site, which then became “Ducru-Beaucaillou”. He hired the architect, Paul Abadie, graduate of the acclaimed Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, to enhance the elegant Directory-period chartreuse. But above all, he invested heavily in the vineyards and the cellar. The wines quickly rose to the summit of the appellation and Ducru-Beaucaillou obtained unanimous recognition from the Place de Bordeaux, which later consecrated it with a place in the 1855 classification.
Le Petit Ducru is a wine of balance and harmony. An elixir of youth. It is there, alive and well, a rendezvous with pleasure. Accessible from its earliest youth, uninhibited in its Chaplinesque antics. It will make for a happy dining companion in restaurants. It will make for a perfect marriage with poultry where it will bow down before its crispy, brown skin and envelop the steaming flesh with its tannins.
Le Petit Ducru tastes of Sundays. Above all, it tastes of friendship.
Wine Information
Le Petit Ducru 2021 will age for twelve months in Bordeaux barrels, 30% in new oak and the balance in one-year old barrels (twelve months). Certified French oak, naturally matured outdoors for a guaranteed minimum of three years.
Regular topping-up during the first six months, racking every two or three months with a total of four rackings.
Sterile bottling under inert oenological gas will take place in June/July 2022. Closed with 49 mm natural cork.
Vintage 2021
NEWS: BORDEAUX 2021 VINTAGE by Pros:What Critics Thinks?
Antonio Galloni, Vinous : "The 2021 Bordeaux have turned out to be such a surprise. Weather conditions were challenging, and yet the top properties turned out gorgeous, classically built wines that will absolutely thrill readers who appreciate freshness and energy. Restrained alcohols and mid-weight structures will remind readers of Bordeaux pre-2000s. The best wines offer a striking combination of old-school classicism with modern-day precision. Quality is inconsistent though, so choosing carefully is essential. Even so, there is much to like in the 2021s."
At the Wine Advocate, William Kelley has been one of the first out with his report on the vintage, with largely positive feedback on the top estates of the region. He underlines his thoughts by reminding his readers, “We may have lost the habit of tasting wines with moderate alcohol levels and classic pH en primeur, but anyone who enjoys the great benchmark Bordeaux wines of the 1980s and 1990s should seriously reflect on what the 2021s may have to offer in 10 to 15 years’ time. It’s a style of wine that could come from nowhere else.”
Matthew Jukes:"In many cases, they can rightly say that they triumphed over Mother Nature thanks to their tenacity, experience and tireless work ethic, and the finest wines are singular in their purity, freshness and uncommon resonance... If a château has noble terroir, an entirely dedicated team, state-of-the-art technology (to sort out the clean, pure, ripe fruit from the weaker berries) and a slice of luck, then there is no excuse for not making fabulous wine... this is a classic example of a vintage where every single wine must be tasted individually... Suffice to say that I found some exquisite wines in 2021, and they are all pure, long, refreshing, pristinely elegant and refined, and the epitome of the plots of vines from which they were harvested."
Georgie Hindle at Decanter also notes the marked contrasts to the recent blockbuster vintages, “This isn’t a big, opulent, plush year […] the heat and sunlight simply did not avail enough to produce the sun-kissed fruit, high alcohol and uber glamour on show in grand vintages like 2016 and 2018. However, what we get instead is freshness and elegance, racy acidity, lower alcohols, balance where successful, and a true sense of terroir and grape signatures in the glass.” She also reminds us of the benefit of this more restrained style, “It’s likely that they will present earlier opportunities to be consumed compared to the more robust and plush vintages.”
Jane Anson (who has the benefit of being based full-time in Bordeaux) had several insights as to who was inevitably the most successful in 2021. The first came down to the resources of the estate, “This is undoubtedly a vintage that rewarded estates that have a talented team of full-time employees who work in the vineyards throughout the year, and who know their terroir. It rewarded skilled and timely decision making. Those who sub-contract vineyard work were at a disadvantage.” The best wines of the vintage in her opinion revealed, “Classical balance and lower alcohols. Malic acid levels were high at harvest but after malolactic fermentation ph and acidity levels were in the main classically balanced, giving wines that are fruity, and supple in texture.” And finally, unlike vintages where all the hard work could be achieved in the vineyard, the complex work in 2021 only continued in the winery, “Skilful winemaking. We have got used to repeating that wine is made in the vineyard. This is of course still true, but in 2021 it was abundantly clear that the best wines are also sometimes made in the cellar.”
Honest Grapes: Let’s not forget about the whites either. The quality here is more consistent than the reds, and Jancis Robinson proclaims that “in general the dry whites are brilliantly crisp, aromatic and well defined with quite enough fruit, while the sweet whites are some of the best ever, albeit most of them produced in catastrophically tiny quantities”. Haut Brion & La Mission produced sensational whites, among the “finest set of dry whites since 2017” for William Kelley. Meanwhile Georgie Hindle reports “The whites are excellent and maybe more consistent across the board with ample freshness, drive and clarity on the palate as well as an astounding aromatic complexity”. Sauternes has managed the tragic feat of producing some of the all-time greatest sweet whites in the history of Bordeaux, yet in some of the smallest quantities we’ve ever seen. If you can find some sweet whites, we highly recommend piling in!
WHAT THE CHÂTEUX THINKS:
Marielle Cazaux, Winemaker, Château Conseillante “You needed three things this year. The first is the soil. If you have good terroir, you have a chance to make great wine. The second is a good team, you need to have people by your side to help with the frost and the mildew and with green harvest. The third is luck, forecast for rain but multiple times, it was never as bad and warmer than expected. Chances were taken, but they paid off.”
Pierre Olivier Clouet, Technical Director, Cheval Blanc: How would I describe the vintage? It is Academique - for me the wines have rigidity, in a good way. The tannins are ripe, but just ripe - almost al dente. Actually it was (oenologist) Thomas Duclos who described it best, classical but also contemporary…Contemporary Classic”
Hervé Gouin, Commercial Director, Mouton Rothschild “Our biggest challenge was needing to work on the weekend, it’s funny because it’s true, but it made all the difference, especially with the mildew pressure in June and July. The same was true with the harvest.“
