MADAME DE BEAUCAILLOU
2023 Haut Médoc Château Ducru Beaucaillou
59 Merlot, 37 Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 Petit Verdot: 13% alc: 3.6 pH: 89 IPT Madame is starting to sort herself out by gaining a newfound identity, which includes desirable traits such as pristine, vibrant fruit, brightness and definition and momentary hints of flamboyance that never get out of hand. Prim acidity and crisp tannins complete the picture, and by comparison to hosts of local competitors, this wine is nigh on best in show! It helps to have Ducru deportment lessons and a dedicated team of helpers. Still, this assistance would be fruitless if this wine failed to deliver, and I, for one, am happy to champion its refreshing modernity and seamless delivery. 17/20 Rating: 17 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2024)
75cl bottles (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.
Chewy, juicy and mouthwatering blueberry and blackberry fruit. Clear lift through the palate, with edges of raspberry leaf and a touch of austerity on the tannins, given focus by anis and liqourice spice. Harvest September 8 to October 3 across all their plots. 20% new oak. Vines from Listrac (35ha), Moulis (3ha) and Haut-Médoc (10ha) as of the 2020 vintage. Drinking range: 2026 - 2036 Rating: 89-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)
The 2023 Madame de Beaucaillou is a very pretty, aromatic wine. Crushed red berry fruit, cinnamon, dried herbs and a kiss of French oak are all nicely delineated. This juicy, perfumed, Merlot-based Haut-Médoc is a fine choice for drinking over the next decade or so. The 2023 is absolutely delicious. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)
This is from 55 hectares of vines in the Haut-Médoc and Listrac-Médoc appellations. As the name suggests, it is made by the team at Ducru-Beaucaillou. The blend is 59% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, and about 20% of the crop was declassified. A delightful and enticing nose, perfumed with crushed chalk, pencil shavings, with charming cedar, strawberry and currant undertones. The fruit comes across beautifully on the palate, showing a very fragrant and precise style, perfumed, with griottes, currants and dark chocolate, underpinned by some firm tannins. An attractive Haut-Médoc with some firm structure that will need time. The alcohol level is about 13%. Rating: 89-91 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)
A crunchy red with blackcurrant and lead-pencil character. It has a medium body, fine tannins and an attractive finish. Polished and friendly. 59% merlot, 37% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot. Rating: 91-92 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.