2023 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

This has aromas of blackberries and blackcurrant, as well as graphite and flint. Some gunpowder. It’s full-bodied with extremely refined tannins, a creamy character and al-dente fruit at the finish. Crunchy, succulent and linear. Mineral edge to it, like licking a stone. Energetic. 83% cabernet sauvignon and 17% merlot.  (04/2024)

As to the Grand Vin, the 2023 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou brings everything up a level, offering a gorgeous perfume of crème de cassis, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed stone. This gives way to a medium to full-bodied, pure, incredibly elegant Ducru that has ample mid-palate depth, building tannins, and a great spine of acidity. It’s another gorgeous wine from this chateau that plays in the style of the 2010, 2016, and 2020. The 2023 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, again in new barrels, and it hit 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.7, and an IPT of 89. It will have 50+ years of longevity. (05/2024)

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Ducru-Beaucaillou opens with classic great Cabernet notes of blackcurrants, mulberries, and ripe plums leading to a perfume of lilacs, lavender, and pencil shavings with a touch of cardamom. The light to medium-bodied palate is very tightly wound and so, so elegant, with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and wonderful tension giving definition to the black and red berry layers, finishing long and fragrant. This is more structured than most Médoc wines this year and very impressive. The blend is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot, with pH 3.70 and TPI 89. (05/2024)