LA CROIX DE BEAUCAILLOU
2021 Saint Julien
| Grapes | Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit Verdot |
| Colour | Red |
| Origin | France, Bordeaux |
| Sub-district | Haut Médoc |
| Village | Saint Julien |
| ABV | 12.5% |
64 Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 Merlot, 4 Petit Verdot | 60% new oak for 12 months | 12.5% alc | 3.84 pH | 92 IPT Sourced from central Saint-Julien vineyards south of the D2, this is the finest and most chiselled Croix I have tasted. With approximately 15% more Cabernet in the mix and 2% fewer degrees of alcohol, it could only ever be a very refined creation. I can unequivocally state that regardless of its parentage, as a standalone wine, this flavour would be granted Cru Classé status if the classification was ever rerun. If La Croix can maintain this complexity, class, and refinement level, it will be up there with the finest non-Grand-Vins in the region. In terms of my score – I deliberated long and hard about awarding it an 18, so I hope that this underlines just how much I respect this wine. Rating: 17.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2022)
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Or, check the RELATED PRODUCTS below for different vintages or wines of a similar style.
Medium body with a compact core of dark fruit, blackcurrants, pine cones, cloves and chocolate. Beautiful depth. Firm, creamy tannins. Dark and firm, yet cool at the end. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot and 4% petit verdot. Serious second wine. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2022)
Clear graphite, pencil lead, finessed black fruit that is lean and precise. Impressive, more structured than the past few years of La Croix, more vertical rise through the palate, and will benefit from softening not only over ageing but with a few years in bottle to tame the severe tannins. Higher levels of Cabernet Sauvignon, because the Merlot did less well over the growing season, and it makes it feel more in the spirit of the 1st wine. 60% new oak, 27hl/h yield. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)
Complex aromas of dark berries, sweet spices, licorice, cigar wrapper and loamy soil introduce the 2021 La Croix de Beaucaillou, a medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered wine that exhibits promising depth, concentration and structure in this challenging vintage. It's a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot—in other words, it contains at lot more Cabernet than usual. Rating: 90-92 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)
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.
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RELATED PRODUCTS
2019 SARGET DE GRUAUD LAROSE du Château Gruaud Larose Saint Julien
Bordeaux France 13.5% Red
. Half-bottles
The 2019 Sarget de Gruaud-Larose has a well-defined bouquet with tertiary red berry fruit, understated initially but gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite tarry with a...(read more)
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