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.

By Jane Anson

Last updated 11 October 2019 In News

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Château Ducru-Beaucaillou — Credit: http://ducrubeaucaillou.com

(Image credit: http://ducrubeaucaillou.com)

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.

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.

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 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.

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Jane Anson was Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent until 2021 and has lived in the region since 2003. She writes a monthly wine column for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and is the author of Bordeaux Legends: The 1855 First Growth Wines (also published in French as Elixirs). In addition, she has contributed to the Michelin guide to the Wine Regions of France and was the Bordeaux and Southwest France author of The Wine Opus and 1000 Great Wines That Won’t Cost a Fortune. An accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux École du Vin, Anson holds a masters in publishing from University College London, and a tasting diploma from the Bordeaux faculty of oenology.

Roederer awards 2016: International Feature Writer of the Year

Anson: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical

Scroll down for Jane Anson’s Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical tasting notes and scores

See Jane Anson’s Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical tasting notes and scores

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