Ducru Beaucaillou 2018

Tasted blind. Sweet and salty with rather an exotic undertow. Dramatic! Lots of pleasure here – on the ripe side of St-Julien. 14.5%Drink 2025 – 2045

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot. pH 3.7, 18 months in 100% new oak. Barrel sample. Black core. Intense black fruit. Highly structured but smooth, like thick velvet. Generous in fruit and massive but still surprisingly fresh. Long and refined finish even with all this power and density. Rich but not overly sweet or overripe. Savoury long finish. Hard to judge now. (JH) 14.5%Drink 2028-2043

Another rock 'em sock 'em St.-Julien here, brimming with nearly exotic blackberry, plum, blueberry and açaí berry reduction notes, bristling with brambly energy and racing through a graphite-edged finish. Shows gorgeous perfume throughout, despite the fairly obvious level of concentration.

(85 Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 Merlot) | 100% new oak – matured for 18 months. | 14.5% alc | 3.7pH | 95 IPT The berries here were around 10-15% smaller than in regular vintages and this goes some way to explaining the volume of flavour and devastating stance of this imperial creation. The key to making such a masterpiece at Ducru was avoiding over-extraction coupled with the care and attention that they paid during winemaking. Réjouissant was the word that owner Bruno Borie used when we tasted this wine together and I know that this translates as ‘worthy of rejoicing’, but also ‘heartening’ and ‘gratifying’. This wine is all of these things and more. It is nothing short of a masterpiece in my opinion. Of course Ducru is often a flamboyant wine and in this vintage, with its extraordinary growing season, those Châteaux that are used to creating larger-framed more ostentatious styles of wine were bound to do very well. With all of the exuberance one might expect under this label but also with immense reserve and a heightened IQ this wine sets a new standard for this estate. It is not a once in a decade wine - it is a once in half a century wine. Control and precision are the watchwords here and this is done of such a scale and with such panache that it is sensational. This is a wine which will amaze every single person on the planet. I cannot think how it could be improved. This is such a detailed wine with so much fruit integrity it is amazing and I have never tasted anything like it from this property. It follows that I am honour-bound to award this delicious wine a perfect score.

Compared to the Second Wine, the 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou clearly displays more new oak on the nose, which is to be expected given that it was entirely aged in new wood. The bouquet is very intense, particularly after 3–4 hours of opening (like many 2018s), offering copious scents of blackberries, blueberry, mint and violet, all while maintaining excellent delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that render the texture velvety-smooth and polished. There is a surfeit of exceedingly pure black fruits laced with cedar and mint bound up in this Saint-Julien. The finish is serene but very persistent. This will be a seductive and sophisticated Ducru-Beaucaillou that deserves several years in bottle. 2029 - 2055

The 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is currently halfway through its barrel maturation, the usual 18 months in 100% new French oak. It was picked from 25 September until 10 October. The bouquet is very intense and needs a lot of coaxing from the glass - more so than previous vintages. It eventually, almost reluctantly reveals tightly-wound black fruit laced with violet petals and touches of wild mint. It feels quite Margaux-like. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with layers of black fruit infused with graphite and minerals, a crescendo of flavours towards the powerful and quite grippy finish. Compared to the Croix de Beaucaillou, I find the alcohol more contained (14.5%), and it delivers lovely spicy notes that tingle on the tongue after the wine has departed. It will need at least a decade in bottle. Drink 2029-2055.

This is a fantastic Brainaire with deep and dark fruit, such as blackberries and blackcurrants. Lots of raspberries, too. Full-bodied with firm and creamy tannins and a super long finish. We will see if it’s better than 2016, but on its way.

Tasted as a barrel sample. the 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a very deep purple-black color. It charges out of the glass with bold crème de cassis, preserved plums and baked blueberries notes with touches of chocolate pie, Christmas pudding and Chinese five spice plus a hint of oolong tea. The full-bodied palate is simply a powerhouse, with super firm, super ripe, grainy tannins, lovely freshness and tons of black fruit preserves flavor layers, finishing very long and very exotic. WOW! 2026 - 2060

The 2018 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, to be aged 18 months in 100% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.7, 14.5% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 95. Very deep purple-black in color, it prances out of the glass with flamboyant, showy scents of cinnamon stick, wilted roses, star anise, fallen leaves and Ceylon tea with a core of blackcurrant cordial, black cherry compote, violets, chocolate mint and espresso plus a waft of crushed rocks. Full-bodied, opulent and decadently fruited with layer upon layer of black/blue fruit and floral nuances, it has an exquisitely ripe, fine-grained frame and fantastic freshness supporting the multifaceted, beguiling fruit, finishing with tons of fragrant flowers and mineral sparks. At once beautifully elegant and wonderfully bold. About 7,000 cases of the grand vin will be produced, really focusing on the area around the estate.

The grand vin of this terrific estate, the 2018 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is based on 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that will spend 18 months in new barrels. It’s as classy as they come, boasting a deep purple/blue color as well as awesome notes of pure crème de cassis, smoke tobacco, crushed rock-like minerality, and violets. Haute couture at its finest, with full-bodied richness, building structure and tannins, and remarkable purity, it’s certainly in the same ballpark as the magical 2016. It will be approachable in just 4-5 years yet keep for 40+.