LA CROIX DUCRU-BEAUCAILLOU
2023 Saint Julien
58 Merlot, 40 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 Petit Verdot: 13.5% alc: 3.71 pH: 91 IPT: Harvested from 8 September - 3 October While Le Petit has some unpolished wildness due to its chunky Merlot content, it is still an impressive wine. But when this wine hits the glass, it is clear there is a big step up to La Croix on both the nose and palate. The fruit is adroit, upright and thrilling, and the tannins made me grin from ear to ear. There is trademark Ducru exoticism here, and it is delivered with aplomb. A chiselled jawline and confident stance make ’23 La Croix seem slightly more civilised and self-assured than the imposing 2022. This is a more athletic wine than I expected. It has a rangy, loping gait and a fair amount of swagger - there is much to admire. A slightly odd equilibrium is found mid-way along the palate when the intense fruit notes encounter sublime freshness coming in the other direction. This is shocking and pleasing in equal measure. La Croix is a superb wine, and while it gains the same score as the 2022, in many ways, I prefer it. It again shows that human intervention and decision-making made the wines of Ducru truly impressive in 2023. 18+/20 Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Inky plum colour, high tannic count (91IPT) but with a cushion of air running underneath, this delivers a contrast of light and shade, and captures an effortless St Julien character, coulpled with floral and savoury Cabernet, and the kick of gourmet cocoa bean that is a signature of the wine. 60% new oak. Drinking range: 2025 - 2032 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)
The 2023 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou marries sophistication with the textural richness that is such a signature here. All the elements are so well balanced. Jammy dark red fruit, pomegranate, blood orange, spice and mocha infuse the 2023 with tons of nuance. Supple tannins wrap it all together. This Saint-Julien screams with character. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)
The blend is 58% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot, sourced from a cluster of inland vineyards south of La Mouline. A beautifully perfumed expression on the nose, floral with layers of dark chocolate, violets and roses. It has great pencil-drawn linearity, and correspondingly the palate has the beautiful poise of the vintage, with sweet and linear fruits, dressed with floral notes like the nose, but with a firm backbone of dark and finely grained tannins. Dark, yet floral and precise, with the tannic grip of the vintage, long and lightly puckering in the finish. A very impressive character, with great potential, this is a fine La Croix, with huge tannic grip in the end. One for the cellar, for sure. The alcohol level is about 13.5%. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
The purity of fruit is so beautiful here with blackcurrants and violets, as well as freshly shaved lead pencil. It’s medium-bodied with refined tannins that are wonderfully polished and give plenty of texture. Goes on for minutes. Second wine of Ducru. 58% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 2% petit verdot. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2024)
Château Ducru Beaucaillou
St Julien Deuxième cru 1855 When the Beychevelle estate was broken up in 1642, in order to pay off the debts of the deceased owner, it gave birth to three Châteaux - Beychevelle, Branaire-Ducru and Ducru-Beaucaillou. Château Ducru Beaucaillou was so named because of the quality lent to the wine by the large pebbles in the soil - the "good pebbles" being "beau caillou" (although it was originally "Maucaillou", "bad pebbles" not being much use for any other kind of agriculture). In 1795, the estate was purchased by Bertrand Ducru, and the name was complete. The early years on the 20th Century were not kind to Ducru-Beaucaillou, but salvation was on hand with its purchase by Francis Borie in 1941. Apart from some problems with TCA during the late 1980's, the tenure of the Borie family has been a time of continuing improvement at Ducru-Beaucaillou. Today, Francis' grandson Bruno Borie heads up the estate. The Borie family also own Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Château Haut Batailley. The 75ha of vineyard are planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot have, apparently, left the blend. The Grand Vin spends 18 to 20 months in wood, with the proportion of new wood varying between vintages. A second wine was introduced in 1995 - La Croix de Beaucaillou. Also produced at Ducru-Beaucaillou is Château Lalande-Borie from vineyard purchased from Château Lagrange in 1970 which, although it could perfectly legally be absorbed into Château Ducru Beaucaillou, has always been produced as a seperate wine.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.