Croix Ducru Beaucaillou 2021

Complex aromas of dark berries, sweet spices, licorice, cigar wrapper and loamy soil introduce the 2021 La Croix de Beaucaillou, a medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered wine that exhibits promising depth, concentration and structure in this challenging vintage. It's a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot—in other words, it contains at lot more Cabernet than usual.

The 201 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou has a very seductive bouquet of plush black cherry and raspberry preserves and a touch of Earl Grey. This is very nuanced and poised, showing a touch of cedar in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, and again, a little stricter than previous vintages thanks to the higher Cabernet Sauvignon. Classic in style, displaying fine sapidity, a touch of piquancy toward the finish and a persistent saline aftertaste. Very fine.

The 2021 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, to be aged in 60% new oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it comes skipping out of the glass with cheery scents of black and red cherries, mulberries, and fresh plums, followed by hints of lilacs and powdered cinnamon with a waft of bay leaves. Light-bodied, the palate is elegantly played with a lively backbone and soft tannins, finishing on a peppery note. pH 3.84. IPT 92.2025-2035

Clear graphite, pencil lead, finessed black fruit that is lean and precise. Impressive, more structured than the past few years of La Croix, more vertical rise through the palate, and will benefit from softening not only over ageing but with a few years in bottle to tame the severe tannins. Higher levels of Cabernet Sauvignon, because the Merlot did less well over the growing season, and it makes it feel more in the spirit of the 1st wine. 60% new oak, 27hl/h yield.