CHÂTEAU DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU

2020 2ème Cru Classé Saint Julien

Grapes Cab Sauv, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Saint Julien
Classification 2ème Cru Classé
ABV 13.5%

Market Insight: If Ducru hits the middle of their range for 2019, 99 points, it will put them qualatitively in line with the 2010, which it is possible to pick up for £925/6. The low yields in St Julien in 2020 could offer the same high score, but I'd really like to see a bit of a wind back to Pichon levels. Like a stuck record, I still it's good value when compared to global top Bordeaux blends, but it's just not quite good value enough when compared to the high standards it has previously set. L&S (May 2021)


Alternatively, we may well have some bottles in one of our shops - why not give us a call on 0207 244 0522 or send an email to: sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk.

Or, check the RELATED PRODUCTS below for different vintages or wines of a similar style.


Very expressive on the nose with complex notes of blackcurrant, blackberries, mocha & cedar. The fruit is ripe but not over the top. Full bodied and perfectly balanced. Tannins are very polished, ripe & grippy. Excellent length on the finish. During the tasting, Bruno Borie & team emphasised how freshness was going to be a big part of the vintage for them and that certainly came across in the sample we tasted. A very well made wine with lots & lots of potential. Drinking range: 2032 - 2050 Rating: 98 L&S (Apr 2021)

Blackcurrants and blueberries with violets and crushed stone. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied but very tight and reserved, with racy, almost steely tannins. Some subtle sweet fruit in the center palate. Great transparency and clarity. Super precision here. Vertical and polished. Try after 2028. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)

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. Rating: 97-99 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2021)

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.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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