CHÂTEAU DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU

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. Drinking range: 2026 - 2076 Rating: 100 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

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. Drinking range: 2031 - 2066 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

The 2016 Ducru Beaucaillou is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot cropped at 36 hectoliters per hectare between 24 September and 14 October and matured in 100% new oak barrels (for a total of 18 months). The alcohol level comes in at 13.63% with a pH of 3.71. The bouquet is very closed at first, and so I aerated the Grand Vin by transferring from one glass to another. It gradually unfurls to reveal scents of blackberry, bilberry, cedar and a touch of pencil lead. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm backbone cloaked in layers of black fruit. The new oak is probably more present here than some of its peers, but there is more than sufficient substance to absorb that. The mineralité surfaces right towards the persistent finish, completing what is a Ducru Beaucaillou built for the long term. Drinking range: 2026 - 2065 Rating: 96-98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 100% new oak. Yields were the lowest in the commune: just 37 hl/ha because of poor flowering, esca pruning and selection. Still, 7,500 cases made! Very dark. Racy and sinewy with lots of richness and energy. Smooth and supple and quite sweet – arguably too sweet? – but with masses of tannins buried down there. Blackberry compote mixed with health juice. Drinking range: 2026 - 2046 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Offers a scintillating display of roasted apple wood, incense and warm ganache before the core of cassis, plum preserves and raspberry reduction starts to step forward. The finish, loaded with grip but remarkably polished, pulls everything together. A huge, undeniable wine, overt in style. Rating: 97-100 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

Very focused and reserved with a mineral, blackberry, licorice and blackcurrant character. Full and refined. Walking a tightrope between steely tannins and and dark fruit. This is highly intellectual and unique. Great finish. Remake of the extraordinary 2014? Stronger than the 2015, for sure. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

Another exceptional success for St-Julien in 2016, following the longest growing season in the recorded history of the property. Reasonable alcohols, because of the slow maturation, emphasise the juiciness of the fruit. Hugely intense and concentrated black brambly fruits, with layer upon layer of stunning liquorice, dark chocolate, rich black cherry and graphite. This is an utterly beautiful wine and it approaches the essence of what owner Bruno Borie must want for this estate, I am sure. It is easy to imagine uncorking this with excitement in 10 or 15 years. The final blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, with a high tannin index of 80IPT and a 3.71pH, aged in 100% new oak for 18 months. Drinking range: 2027 - 2050Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

One of the highlights of the vintage, the 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou is simply magnificent. Vertical structure and intensity in all of its dimensions make a strong opening statement. Dark blue and black fruit, spice, new leather and smoke run through this superb, spectacularly rich, voluptuous Saint-Julien. The tannins are present, but they are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Nothing really stands out. In the end, the 2016 is a wine of spectacular balance and pure class. The natural richness comes through in the gravitas and profoundness of the finish. Even with all of its intensity, the 2016 comes in at just 13.5% alcohol. Rating: 94-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

A delicious, focused, well-structured Ducru from a very fine vintage, this has fine tannins, very stylish oak integration, dark berry scents, some Asian spices and a silky, polished finish. Deceptively forward, because this should age beautifully in bottle. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Ducru Beaucaillou is blessed with one of the finest aromatics you will find within the appellation, delivering pixelated, mineral-driven black fruit laced with cedar and sous-bois and seeming so natural and effortless. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Taut and crisp, leading into a detailed, quite persistent finish that, again, just comes across as effortless. This is a sophisticated and quite enthralling Saint-Julien. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2026 - 2070 Rating: 97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Dec 1899)