- Colour Red
- Producer Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
- Region St Julien
- Drinking 2028 - 2050
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
2022 - Ch Ducru Beaucaillou 2ème Cru St Julien - 6x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
- Region St Julien
- Drinking 2028 - 2050
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
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Neal Martin, April 2023, Score: 95-97
The 2022 Ducru-Beaucaillou contains less Cabernet than last year and is closer to the normal blend of the Grand Vin, picked between 7 September and 4 October - the longest harvest in their history. The IPT is 95. Matured in 100% new oak, the bouquet bides its time in the glass, almost reluctantly unfurling with scents of blackberry, briary, cigar humidor and sous-bois. At this nascent stage, it is more backward than its peers. The palate is undoubtedly one of the most dense and muscular that I have encountered over many years tasting at the estate, full-bodied with vice-like tannins. Continuing the theme of the estate's other cuvées, there is a lovely Pauillac-like presence throughout, with graphite/pencil lead infusing the black fruit. The finish exerts a considerable grip and feels saline, almost briny on the aftertaste. This Leviathan Ducru-Beaucaillou threatens to overwhelm the senses, uncompromising in many ways, and it will patently take many years for the tannins to soften. I feel that it is only once in bottle that one will be able to gauge its trajectory. Drink 2040-2075
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Wine Advocate, April 2023, Score: 94-96
One of the Médoc's most powerful wines this year is the 2022 Ducru-Beaucaillou, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot that opens in the glass with aromas of dark cherries and berries mingled with pencils shavings, vanilla pod and spices. Full-bodied, broad-shouldered and muscular, with a core of ripe but lively fruit underpinned by a chassis of powdery, liberally extracted tannin that asserts itself on the finish, it's a punchy, modern Saint-Julien reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of the 2018 and 2020.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2023, Score: 95-97
The 2022 Ducru-Beaucaillou is elegant and nuanced. Bright red/purplish fruit, rose petal, blood orange, mint and spice give the 2022 unusual brilliance. In most recent vintages, Ducru has been on the opulent side. The 2022, on the other hand, is strict and linear in construction, a wine that is more about persistence than size. Bright saline underpinnings extend the mid-palate into the striking, beaming finish. Harvest took place over four weeks, the longest ever, as opposed to the two weeks or so that is the norm. Yields were 30hL per hectare, down from the 35-37 typical in recent years. Drink 2032-2052.
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Goedhuis, April 2023, Score: 97-98
2022 marks Bruno Borie’s 20th vintage as proprietor of this estate, and he is most definitely celebrating this anniversary in style! Having tasted at a London Masterclass with Bruno and then at the Château two weeks later, this is a sensationally good showing from one of the Medoc’s most finely positioned vineyards. Deep cassis colour, it is floral and polished, with a perfume of violet and black cherry. Tremendously layered, rich in fruit texture, the tannins have a controlled tightness, giving the wine muscle and breadth, but there is also finesse, finishing with a warming opulence. Powerful and yet joyous.
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James Suckling, April 2023, Score: 97-98
Some much creme de cassis and blackcurrant aromas and flavors here. Full-bodied with powerful tannins, yet fine and layered. Chewy. You can really feel the thick grape skins here. Excellent length. Tannins spread across the palate. Minerally and crushed stone.
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Jane Anson, April 2023, Score: 98
Deep damson colour, poised and intense, a serious wine with crushed mint, graphite and bitter black chocolate on the opening beats, setting the tone for a slow reveal of confident St Julien character. Powerful tannins convey purity and precision, set against creamy cassis and bilberry fruits, with softer smoked earth and baked spice, and a slate finish. The construction is careful and measured, extremely impressive, this is has decades ahead. 3.8ph, 95IPT. 100% new oak. 30hl/h yield.
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Jeb Dunnuck, April 2023, Score: 97-99
Moving to the Grand Vin, it's a slightly more Merlot-influenced blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot, raised in new barrels. It brings the same level of concentration and structure as the La Croix but has another level of class, elegance, and purity, with sensational aromatics of crème de cassis, graphite, crushed stone, sandalwood, and graphite. The purity here is truly remarkable, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, perfectly integrated oak, silky tannins, and a great finish. This beauty hit 14% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.8 and an IPT of 95. Given its balance as well as its texture, it's going to offer pleasure with just short-term cellaring yet also evolve for decades.
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Matthew Jukes, April 2023, Score: 20+
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou (2ème Cru Saint-Julien) 82 Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 Merlot 100% new oak – matured for 18 months. 14% alc 11 3.8 pH 95 IPT Press wines was 8-10% Harvest was the longest ever – from 7 September – 4 October Despite the highly-documented difficulties in the summer, with heat spikes and drought concerns, rainfall appeared when the vineyards needed it most, and no fewer than 180 pickers were used at the height of the harvest, endeavouring to pick every berry at precisely the optimal time. In the end, there was no disease pressure whatsoever and the one-word description of the harvest at Ducru, according to Tracey Dobbin MW, was ‘serene’. The crew relied on input from the RD team to be as precise as possible, and despite Merlot coming fairly fast and the Cabernet berries being tiny, they were thrilled with the quality of the fruit. Tracey described the skins as ‘powerful’ and ‘melt in the mouth’, and the seeds were akin to ‘toasted hazelnuts’! They decided to kick off fermentation, without a cold soak, at 10C and then let it slowly rise, extracting the flavours as gently as possible. The new vats at Ducru are half the size of the old ones, allowing even more precision and selection during this critical period of winemaking. The resulting wine is utterly mind-blowing, with some of the most dynamic and expressive fruit I have ever seen at this august estate. The impact of the fruit is astounding, and yet this is not a heavyweight wine. Tracey mentioned showjumpers while trying to sum up the character of this wine – powerful, dextrous, explosive and beautiful animals, and this is a good analogy. My analogy is more regimental with perfectly turned-out columns of flavour, impeccably presented and immaculately well-drilled. There are volleys of fruit here, mounting stealthy waves of attacks on your system until you are swarmed with the glossiest, sexiest and most intrusive Cabernet assaults. This is another stellar wine that tastes solely of its property and nowhere else on earth, and this is an indelible hallmark of the very finest wines in 2022. The tannins are as polished and fine-grained as I have experienced in this vintage, and the overall package embraces the unique characters of the 2022 vintage while overlaying them perfectly on the glorious Ducru template.
Producer
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Instantly recognisable by its sunny Mediterranean-hued label,Ducru Beaucaillou is always a favourite amongst wine aficionados. Owned by the Borie family over the last 60 years, it has been run by Bruno, the eldest son of the late Jean-Eugène, since 2003. This change in leadership seems to have had a positive effect in all vintages since. Like certain other châteaux in Bordeaux, Ducru carries out cold macerations during thei...Read more
Instantly recognisable by its sunny Mediterranean-hued label,Ducru Beaucaillou is always a favourite amongst wine aficionados. Owned by the Borie family over the last 60 years, it has been run by Bruno, the eldest son of the late Jean-Eugène, since 2003. This change in leadership seems to have had a positive effect in all vintages since. Like certain other châteaux in Bordeaux, Ducru carries out cold macerations during their vinification process, a technique in which grapes are steeped in their own juice at low temperatures to gently extract vibrant colour and fleshy fruit.Read less
Region
St Julien
St Julien is like the middle child of the Médoc - not as assertive as Pauillac or as coquettish as Margaux. It lies firmly between the two more outspoken communes and as a result produces a blend of them both. St Julien's wines have often been sought out by aficionados for their balance and consistency, particularly in the UK. Yet due to its middle child nature, it can occasionally be overlooked globally and as a result underrated by those markets outside the UK. Despite the fact that it has no first growths, it has several second growths including Léoville Las Cases, Léoville Barton, Léoville Poyferré and Ducru Beaucaillou as well as the celebrated châteaux such as Talbot and Beychevelle.
