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Ducru Beaucaillou 2016 (750ML)
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Critic Scores, Reviews & Descriptions
100 JD / 99 JS / 99 DE / 99 WCI / 98+ WA / 98 VM / 98 WE / 98 JA / 97 WS / 97 FS / 18 JR
#46 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2019
#77 Jeb Dunnuck’s Top 100 Wines of 2019
Reminding me of the 2010 with its incredible stature and class (as opposed to the more opulently styled 2009), the 2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a legendary wine from the genius of Bruno Borie, who has managed this estate brilliantly since he arrived in 2003. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot brought up all in new oak, the 2016 has a mammoth bouquet of crème de cassis, espresso, camphor, crushed violets, toasty oak, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, and backward on the palate, it nevertheless has perfectly integrated acidity and building tannins, a concentrated, layered texture, off-the-charts purity of fruit, and a finish that won't quit. Give this powerful, concentrated wine a solid 7-8 years of bottle age and enjoy it over the following 50 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck
Super perfumed, attractive violets with a thread of fresh blueberries, cassis, blackberries and dark plums, delivering a very enticing impression. Beautiful ripeness here. The tannins are perfectly ripe and layers meld into each other, carrying deep, graceful and plush, velvety dark fruit long into the vibrant and seductive, chocolate-laced finish. Great potential. Try from 2024. - James Suckling
Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou delivers a pronounced, enticing nose of baked plums, blueberry preserves, fruitcake and boysenberry with suggestions of lilacs, mocha, hoisin and exotic spices plus a waft of cedar chest. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, the palate has layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and spicy nuances, matched by a very firm, grainy frame, finishing with epic length and depth.-Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
The 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou is an arrestingly beautiful wine. Powerful and sensual in the glass, the 2016 exudes remarkable concentration from start to finish. Red cherry fruit, pomegranate, blood orange, menthol and sweet tobacco all race across the palate. Vivid, sumptuous and impeccable in its balance, Ducru is one of the wines of the vintage in 2016. It has been unforgettable on both occasions I have tasted it from bottle so far. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
This wine conveys density but its richness is sublimated by the complex structure and beautiful ripe fruit. Its power comes from the structure as much as the fruit, promising a wine with an immensely long life ahead of it. Drink from 2025. - Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
At a push, if you really were patient with aerating this, you could drink it over Christmas - just because the tannins are so silky once they have time to unwind. It's an extremely impressive Ducru that will age for deacdes, bursting with the estate signature of cassis liqueur, bilberry, slate, cigar box, smoked earth and cocoa beans. Firm tannins that are richly textured and already showing elasticity. The finish just goes on and on, and it's extremely easy to fall in love with. 36hl/h yield. 100% new oak. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
Hugely different in personality from the 2015, this is powerful and sombre. It's inky in colour and feel, with black olive, liquorice and cigar smoke alongside cinnamon, black pepper and Cabernet character of blackcurrant bud. This is intense and powerful and is going to keep on delivering through the years, thanks to its stunning ageing capacity. This is first-growth quality, and it has claws and is not afraid to use them. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2026 - 2044 - Jane Anson, Decanter
Offers exotic, cashmere-textured, mocha-infused blackberry, cassis and plum puree flavors, with smoldering incense and warm fruitcake notes and a swath of plush yet serious grip too boot, showing ample depth and breath. As distinctive a Bordeaux as there is these days. Best from 2025 through 2040. 7,500 cases made. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
Deep and richly coloured. Beautifully fragrant with black fruit. A lovely freshness and sense of refinement, not fully open but much more precise and refined than the 2015. Perfect balance between fruit and structure. Powerful and long, lovely shape.-Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson
