Ducru Beaucaillou 2019

This is so seductive on the nose, with perfumes of violets, blackcurrants, raspberries, and orange peel. Subtle. Ethereal. Full-bodied with such fine tannins and delicacy, with great length and beauty. Sophisticated and refined. Really amazing purity and depth. Great length, too. 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. Leave this for at least five or six years.

This is brimming with personality, with inky depths to the colour and clear austerity on the opening beats. As it opens, the concententrated cassis and blueberry fruits switch from being stretched taut to a softer creamy texture. Full of precision and skillful blending of liquorice, cigar box and bitter dark chocolate with fresh acidities that hold right through the core of the wine. Signature St Julien elegance but with uncompromising swagger, one of the wines of the vintage. Blends are exactly as they were during En Primeur, with even the press wines added before the En Primeur tastings, and it is delivering on promise. 100% new oak (with the staves unusually seasoned for six years before being made into barrels), 3.8ph. 300th vintage of Ducru.

Tasted blind. Very dark indeed. Healthy colour. Opulent, black-cherry-compote nose. Hint of goat’s cheese. A bit late 20th century, and it will certainly be admired in some quarters. Dry, hot finish. 14%Drink 2027– 2041

The 2019 Ducru Beaucaillou, which was matured in 100% new oak for 12 months, has a glorious bouquet of cigar humidor, cedar, black fruit and a touch of black truffle, very complex and quite compelling. The palate is still very Pauillac-inspired in style, and finely proportioned, with chiseled tannins. Displaying superb clarity and salinity on the finish, this feels very persistent and utterly charming. It will repay a decade in bottle and then last several more. I believe this will outperform the 2018 in the long run. Drink 2030-2070.

The 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou is composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly grows and unfurls on the nose to reveal notions of smoked meats, black truffles, licorice, and crushed rocks with a core of creme de cassis, blueberry preserves, candied violets, and cedar chest, plus an exotic waft of cumin seed. Medium to full-bodied, firm, and grainy, the palate has layer upon layer of tightly packed black fruits and earthy accents, finishing with epic length and a provocative spiciness.

I tasted the 2019 Ducru Beaucaillou four times in 12-hour intervals from opening. It has a splendid bouquet centered around black fruit laced with graphite, Montecristo cigars and hints of sage and cedar. This is one of the most Pauillac-like Ducrus that I have encountered at this stage. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, pitch perfect acidity and a sensual, satin-like texture that could seduce from miles away. There is a sense of completeness surrounding this Second Growth, charming you surfeit with nobility and outstanding in terms of persistence. Fabulous. 2026 - 2060

A very powerful Ducru with intense tannins and backbone, showing blue fruit, black tea and tobacco. Full-bodied with impressive structure and so much tannin. It goes on for minutes. Very traditional. Owner Bruno Borie said it is a wine to last forever and I have to agree. 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, the 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with a cedary overtones, needing a lot of swirling to reveal a powerful underlying core of blackcurrant jelly, black cherry compote, and chocolate box with touches of Indian spices and graphite. The medium to full-bodied palate has beautifully ripe tannins and bright, expressive blue and black fruits, finishing long and spicy. This stunning wine is built like a brick house and will need 7-10 more years in cellar to offer the extraordinay experience it promises.

This year the blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. The alcohol weighed in at 14.2%, while the pH is 3.8 and the IPT is 88. It will mature for 18 months in French oak barrels, 100% new. Opaque purple-black in color, the 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou explodes from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, blueberry pie and plum preserves plus hints of candied violets, dark chocolate, licorice, wild fungi, crushed rocks and tilled soil with a touch of mossy bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is a tightly wound coil poised to spring out with layer upon layer of minerals, rich black fruits and floral notes, framed by very firm, exquisitely ripe tannins and electric freshness, finishing long and incredibly layered. WOW!

Inky depths to the concentrated ruby colour, the Cabernet Sauvignon imposes itself strongly from the first moment. No question that we are slap-bang in St Julien here, in the heart of this appellation's signature, with its elegance, balance and hidden power. At first the wine feels taut and austere, but performs the trick of changing as it travels through the palate, and by the end of play the texture is almost creamy, with blackberry, bilberry, black chocolate, cigar box, slate and liquorice. A big accomplishment, making this an unmissable Ducru. Drinking Window 2029 - 2045