LE PETIT DUCRU
2019 Saint Julien Château Ducru Beaucaillou
This is a step up from the Madame de Beaucaillou. Good St Julien credentials here and you can tell. This is very much the estate's third wine and you can sense the family resemblance to the Croix de Beaucaillou and the Ducru Beaucaillou. Deep and richly done. This has spice and good plummy depth. It is the sleek feel that is unmistakably Borie - this is a gentle introduction, rich and easy. 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon & 4% Petit VerdotL&S (Jun 2020)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2019 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou is plush, creamy and open-knit, all of which give it considerable immediacy, not to mention tons of charm. Succulent dark cherry, plum, mocha and licorice lend nuance in this racy, Merlot-based blend. The Petit Ducru is a new wine meant to be the third selection from the château. Drinking range: 2025 - 2039 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
The 2019 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru Beaucaillou comes from 25 hectares on the western part of the appellation (10 hectares currently being re-planted) with declassified La Croix and Ducru Beaucaillou. It has a very focused bouquet of black fruit infused with graphite/pencil lead scents, a touch of brine emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth texture that belies a firm backbone. Quite stern at the moment – maybe it’s just closed up as the winter descends – but I admire its marine-tinged finish. Very fine. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
This first vintage under the new name, a slightly traumatic change (for me at least!) from Château Lalande Borie because I was a big supporter of the previous incarnation. This remains largely grapes from a 25ha plot on west side of St Julien, together with young vines from the Ducru estate (hence no longer qualifying for the château designation). Having said that, the quality is still brilliant, and it offers a clear reason to choose this wine as an approachable St Julien before heading upwards to Madame de Beaucaillou. Black fruits smothered in liquorice, dark chocolate shavings, cocoa beans, espresso, cassis. It has a clear link to Ducru, you get the shot of sexiness, the feeling that you are being invited in to the party. 30% new oak for 12 months. Drinking range: 2023 - 2034 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)
A newcomer to the Ducru-Beaucaillou stable, the 2019 Le Petit Ducru is a blend of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It has an alcohol of 14.2% and the pH is 3.79. It is set to age for 12 months in French oak barrels, 30% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with notes of crushed black and red plums, mulberries and black raspberries plus hints of cumin seed, pencil shavings and sautéed herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with expressive, ready-for-biz black fruits with a firm frame of chewy tannins and lively acidity, finishing long with some provocative earthy notes coming through. Rating: 89-91 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru Beaucaillou has a tightly-packed bouquet with bold blackberry, bilberry and iodine scents. The oak here is nicely integrated. The palate is suave and velvety in texture. A very polished wine, moderate in terms of depth with a marine-like piquancy towards the classically-trained, tobacco-infused finish. Very fine. Drinking range: 2023 - 2038 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
What was formerly known as the Lalande-Boire, the 2019 Le Petit Ducru De Ducru-Beaucaillou checks in as mostly Merlot yet includes 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. It has beautiful Saint-Julien purity and elegance as well as lots of cassis, tobacco, violets, and lead pencil aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, supple, and elegant on the palate, it's a beautiful wine well worth drinking. Rating: 89-91 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 Le Petit Ducru is another new wine in the range. It is a Merlot-based blend made mostly as a third selection of Ducru-Beaucaillou. Plump, juicy and inviting, the 2019 offers tons of appeal. Ripe dark cherry, plum, spice, cedar and tobacco meld into the supple finish.According to Bruno Borie, ideal weather in September balanced the heat of the previous summer months. Readers will note a re-alignment of the range, with the two Listracs now gone and two new wines in the lineup. I tasted all of the 2019s in 100ml bottles that arrived in a very attractive package in less than 48 hours from Bordeaux. I applaud the desire to be respectful of the environment and not wasteful of wine, but I am not convinced this bottling system works yet. I found the 2019s all very hard, something that time did not help, with less of the fleshy and sumptuousness I am used to finding in these wines. I won't be surprised if the wines show better from a full bottle, but at the same time, I can only review and comment on the wines that were sent to me. Rating: 88-90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
A fine, firm red with berries, currants and light chocolate. Hints of walnuts and hazelnuts. It’s medium-bodied with juicy fruit. Lightly austere, but in a nice way. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)
Château Ducru Beaucaillou
St Julien Deuxième cru 1855 When the Beychevelle estate was broken up in 1642, in order to pay off the debts of the deceased owner, it gave birth to three Châteaux - Beychevelle, Branaire-Ducru and Ducru-Beaucaillou. Château Ducru Beaucaillou was so named because of the quality lent to the wine by the large pebbles in the soil - the "good pebbles" being "beau caillou" (although it was originally "Maucaillou", "bad pebbles" not being much use for any other kind of agriculture). In 1795, the estate was purchased by Bertrand Ducru, and the name was complete. The early years on the 20th Century were not kind to Ducru-Beaucaillou, but salvation was on hand with its purchase by Francis Borie in 1941. Apart from some problems with TCA during the late 1980's, the tenure of the Borie family has been a time of continuing improvement at Ducru-Beaucaillou. Today, Francis' grandson Bruno Borie heads up the estate. The Borie family also own Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Château Haut Batailley. The 75ha of vineyard are planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot have, apparently, left the blend. The Grand Vin spends 18 to 20 months in wood, with the proportion of new wood varying between vintages. A second wine was introduced in 1995 - La Croix de Beaucaillou. Also produced at Ducru-Beaucaillou is Château Lalande-Borie from vineyard purchased from Château Lagrange in 1970 which, although it could perfectly legally be absorbed into Château Ducru Beaucaillou, has always been produced as a seperate wine.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.