Ducru Beaucaillou 2020 (6.0L)

100 JD / 99 DE / 99 WI / 98 JA / 97 JS / 96-98 VM / 96-98 WE

#83 Jeb Dunnuck's Top 100 2023

To celebrate their 300th vintage, the chateau has created a special label for 2020.

Lastly, the 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is another legendary wine from this château that has been on an incredible run over the past decade. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot that was brought up all in new French oak, it has a saturated purple hue to go with an incredible, mineral-laced bouquet of crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and tobacco leaf. More structured and concentrated than any of the Léovilles, this blockbuster, deep, concentrated, full-bodied Saint-Julien has off-the-charts purity, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. I wrote in my notes, "Like the 2010, only better." You won't find a more concentrated yet flawlessly balanced and elegant wine out there. It's going to need a decade of cellaring and will have 40, 50, if not 60 years of longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck

Evocative and moreish, a Ducru that beguiles and delights from the start with a scented nose full of cedar, rose, violets, cherries and damsons - a riot of Cabernet typicity. Vibrant and pulsing on the palate, this has grip and intention from the get-go. Massy, full and wide in the mouth - there’s density and this is broad but it’s delicate too - a sense of weightlessness with such movement and energy and a soft sweet, succulent grip throughout. Powerful with present tannins that unravel slowly so there’s time to appreciate the details as they come. A thoughtful and intellectual wine that leaves a smile on your face.--Georgina Hindle, Decanter

The 2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, aged for 18 months in 100% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little subdued to begin, yet soon comes galloping out of the glass with a fabulously intense core of blueberry pie and creme de cassis, leading to suggestions of dark chocolate, Indian spices, rose oil, and iron ore, plus a hint of cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is densely packed with bright black fruits, supported by exquisitely fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long with loads of exotic spice and mineral layers. Very perfumed, it is simultaneously powerful, elegant, and beautifully poised - a triumph. This is the 300-year anniversary bottle. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent 

I've tasted this vintage a few times recently, and each time its proved impossible to resist, showcasing precision and crafting, with concentrated and intense cassis and bilberry fruits, loaded up with cigar box, slate, sage and a delicate caress of crushed roses. Harvest September 11 to 30. Emmanuel Bonneau technical director, Eric Boissenot consultant. Anniversary of the founding 1720 marriage between Jacques de Bergeron and Marie Dejean, heiress of the vines that would become Ducru Beaucaillou, so this marks 300 years from the birth of the property. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

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. - James Suckling