Anson: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical
Jane Anson explores the wine profile of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou over the years with a 16-vintage vertical of the Bordeaux second growth's 1st wine dating back to 2003, alongside six vintages of the 2nd wine La Croix, plus samples from each of the family's three other properties across the Médoc.
It’s extremely rare to have such an extensive vertical of what is one of the true ‘super second’ wines of the Médoc – an 1855 classification second Growth that regularly competes with the firsts.
This tasting began with the 2003 vintage, taking in every year up to 2018, and with it showcasing the years since Bruno Borie took over fully as director of his family property. Borie now co-owns it with his sister, but before 2003 they also shared the decision making with their brother François-Xavier, who is now entirely in charge of Château Grand Puy Lacoste in Pauillac.
Scroll down for Jane Anson’s Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical tasting notes and scores
The past 15 years have seen numerous changes that can be tracked including; an increase in barrel ageing from 12 to 18 months (this happened straight off the bat in 2003), an increase from 60% to 100% new oak and the introduction of barrel cleaning with steam rather than hot water to ensure far greater protection against spoilage issues. In the vineyard the main changes have been in grape mix (less Merlot, more Cabernet Sauvignon) and in precision of plot work through the year, so more green harvesting, more severe pruning, more exchange between cellar and vineyard and ‘no more automatic August holidays,’ says Borie.
Lower yields and greater selection have also meant a reduction in the amount of 1st wine, with numbers moving from 13,000 to 9,000 cases per year – especially as the 2nd wine, La Croix, has been made from an entirely separate part of the vineyard as of the 2005 vintage, with any declassified wine from the Ducru vines going into a 3rd wine Le Petit Caillou. Organic conversion is fully underway as of 2018.
The technical director has also changed over the time period from Virginie Salette (2006 to 2015) to Emmanuel Bonneau currently. From 2003 to 2005 it was long-time cellar master René Lusseau and Bruno Borie.
Alongside the Ducru-Beaucaillou main wine, the tasting also covered the estate’s other two St-Julien wines; La Croix de Beaucaillou and Lalande-Borie. Where Ducru is located next to the river, La Croix vines are found in central Saint-Julien by the Moulin stream and Lalande-Borie over to the west of the appellation close to Talbot and Lagrange. There are 105ha in total across the estates, with three distinct terroirs; large-sized gravel and clay more pronounced close to the river, and a little more sand interspersed with finer gravel over to the western edges, changing the density of the fruit and tannins. All three are made with the same winemaking team, making comparisons particularly fascinating (2015, for example, had a similar smoky note in all three, but in different intensities, and the brilliance of the 2016 made Lalande-Borie one of the best value wines I’ve tried this year).
The Borie portfolio also contains three often-overlooked wines from Listrac and Moulis that deserve to be given more recognition – Fourcas-Borie (aiming for Cru Bourgeois Superieur or Exceptionnel in next year’s new ranking), Ducluzeau and Cantelaude-Borie.
The combination of all of these things made this a particularly interesting tasting, with a number of wines, at different price levels, to seriously recommend getting hold of. You get the Ducru signature confidence and poise across them all, but besides the character change from the different appellations and terroirs, it was the clear vintage variation that was so refreshing. At this level châteaux should be happy to celebrate that vintages in Bordeaux have different personalities, with the 2003 and 2013 clear examples of this at different ends of the scale. This is the essence of great Bordeaux; leave it to others to turn out wines that taste the same year-on-year and instead concentrate on making wines that are so fascinating to get to know in the glass.
See Jane Anson’s Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical tasting notes and scores
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Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2003
The 2003 has a very different oak management in style with toasted notes intertwined with a delicate array of dark berries, spices, graphite, and liquorice....
2003
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2004
The 2004 Ducru-Beaucaillou stands out with some animal notes with spices, blackcurrant, blueberry, leather, and tobacco aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with building tannins, without...
2004
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2005
One of the wines of the tasting, 2005 feels like an older style with hints of cigar-box, a touch of lead-pencil and leather suggesting this...
2005
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2006
Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (75% of the blend), the 2006 Ducru nevertheless manages a supple, voluptuous texture. The aromas are somewhat restrained and are...
2006
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2007
From the very first whiff, surprisingly compelling scents of black fruit but also cherry pits, complicated by notes of truffles and spices to reveal a...
2007
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2008
The 2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou smells quite Cabernet-Sauvignon with an appealing bouquet of spices, blackcurrant, black berries, and green bell pepper touches. It has a tense and...
2008
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2009
Remarkably fresh and delicate nose yet classic and aromatic and full of spicy and graphite notes with liquorice, blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, and cherry. Very fresh...
2009
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2010
Violet/rose petal notes on the nose, together with the first appearance of some tertiary notes (cedar wood and a hint of mushroom). But still very...
2010
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2011
The 2011 Ducru-Beaucaillou is simply gorgeous with both profound and complex aromas of toast, smoke, dark berries, blackcurrant, spices with a perfectly integrated oaky frame....
2011
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2012
With elegant, charming, and fresh notes of blackcurrant, liquorice, black fruits and hints of lavender and green bell pepper, this 2012 Ducru-Beaucaillou is remarkably fresh...
2012
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2013
Faced with a very complicated vintage, Bruno Borie managed to produce a rather delicate and fruity wine with cherry, rose petal, black berries, plums, and...
2013
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2014
Intensely fragrant nose, really quite perfumed and floral and expressive. Supple and alive, though quite highly charged too – fruit is ripe but the tannins...
2014
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2015
The 2015 Ducru-Beaucaillou is very reminiscent of the style of the vintage with dark berry aromas, smoky notes, spices, liquorice, and graphite. Very elegant oaky...
2015
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2016
The youngest of a very strong trio (alongside 2010 and 2005) the 2016 is a wonderful example of 'new-wave' Bordeaux with all the intensity, purity...
2016
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2017
The 2017 Ducru-Beaucaillou is the first wine of the fantastic vertical tasting held by Bruno Borie. It has both a deep and elegant bouquet of...
2017
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, St-Julien, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Closed on the nose with a deep, inky core, this 2018 remains very primary and youthful. Quite shy and needing coaxing in the glass, the...
2018
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2009
The 10-year barrier is just about perfect for such a great second wine in an exceptional vintage, and I highly recommend that you start opening...
2009
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2010
<p>More closed than the 2009, this is less ready to go but has huge potential. It's richly layered, with black pepper and extremely concentrated cassis...
2010
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2012
<p>Significantly more evolved than the 2010 even though two years younger, this has a gorgeous spice kick through the palate with a juicy finish. Rosemary...
2012
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2014
Still so young, this needs a good five minutes to even begin to open in the glass. The tannins need to soften and polish up...
2014
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, La Croix, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2015
<p>Smooth, classy black fruits – a very polished wine from a separate vineyard with no young vines. Excitingly expressive and will develop very well.</p>
2015
Château Ducru-BeaucaillouSt-Julien
Château Fourcas-Borie, Listrac-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2015
<p>The ripe, mellow fruitiness of the Merlot grape is on full display here, a good reflection of the vintage and reflective of the fact that...
2015
Château Fourcas-BorieListrac-Médoc
Château Fourcas-Borie, Listrac-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2016
There are hopes that Fourcas-Borie will be in line for Cru Bourgeois Superieur or Exceptionnel status when the new ranking is revealed in February 2020,...
2016
Château Fourcas-BorieListrac-Médoc
Château Ducluzeau, Listrac-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2015
An enjoyable wine with gently spiced, ripe red fruits and soft tannins that are well defined but not intrusive. There's no need to wait too...
2015
Château DucluzeauListrac-Médoc
Château Ducluzeau, Listrac-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2016
<p>Clear freshness here, with raspberry, redcurrant and blackberry fruits dominating. It has touches of rusticity but opens up really well in the glass, with a...
2016
Château DucluzeauListrac-Médoc
Château Lalande-Borie, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2014
<p>This is a spicy, rich, more traditional St Julien compared to the 2015, or especially the 2016. It's totally charming and pretty much ready to...
2014
Château Lalande-BorieSt-Julien
Château Lalande-Borie, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2015
The 2015 is not as strong a vintage as the 2016 but there's a lot to enjoy here. Right off the nose it offers clarity...
2015
Château Lalande-BorieSt-Julien
Château Lalande-Borie, St-Julien, Bordeaux, France, 2016
Inky in colour and with intense cassis flavours joined by olive paste notes, this has a gorgeous, balanced feel. It needs to be carafed for...
2016
Château Lalande-BorieSt-Julien
Château Cantelaude-Borie, Moulis-en-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, 2016
Bought in 2009, this is a little richer than the Listrac wines. It starts out strong, with rustic, chewy tannins and tons of black fruits,...
2016
Château Cantelaude-BorieMoulis-en-Médoc
