CRITIC REVIEWS
Jane Anson
At a push, if you really were patient with aerating this, you could drink it over Christmas - just because the tannins are so silky once they have time to unwind. Its an extremely impressive Ducru that will age for deacdes, bursting with the estate signature of cassis liqueur, bilberry, slate, cigar box, smoked earth and cocoa beans. Firm tannins that are richly textured and already showing elasticity. The finish just goes on and on, and its extremely easy to fall in love with. 36hl/h yield. 100% new oak.
Neal Martin
The 2016 Ducru Beaucaillou is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot cropped at 36 hectoliters per hectare between 24 September and 14 October and matured in 100% new oak barrels (for a total of 18 months). The alcohol level comes in at 13.63% with a pH of 3.71. The bouquet is very closed at first, and so I aerated the Grand Vin by transferring from one glass to another. It gradually unfurls to reveal scents of blackberry, bilberry, cedar and a touch of pencil lead. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm backbone cloaked in layers of black fruit. The new oak is probably more present here than some of its peers, but there is more than sufficient substance to absorb that. The mineralité surfaces right towards the persistent finish, completing what is a Ducru Beaucaillou built for the long term.