Chateau Croix Ducru Beaucaillou 2018
SKU
CDBJ201810 UCAU
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Decanter: 93/100 "An impressive La Croix."
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Robert Parker: 91/100 "Full, rich and seductive in the mouth."
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Jeb Dunnuck: 91/100 "Terrific purity of fruit."
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1 or more bottles$117.60
Editors notes
The 2018 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, to be aged 12 months in 60% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.75, 15% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 96. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a little closed and broody to begin, offering subtle notions of fertile loam, tobacco, truffles and cast iron pan with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry compote and boysenberries with hints of underbrush and bay leaves. Full, rich and seductive in the mouth, it has firm, rounded tannins and just enough freshness to lift the dense fruit to a long finish.
- Robert Parker
Details
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Wine Type
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Vintage
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Variety
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Brand
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Location
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Cellaring
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Closure
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Alcohol Percentage
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Bottle Size
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Oak Type
Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
- Herbal
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Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
Food Pairings
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Pork -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
91"This is not a second wine as such, because it comes from a dedicated part of the vineyard, located on the south bank of La Mouline. The 2018 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, to be aged 12 months in 60% new barriques. It has a pH of 3.75, 15% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 96. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a little closed and broody to begin, offering subtle notions of fertile loam, tobacco, truffles and cast iron pan with a core of crème de cassis, blackberry compote and boysenberries with hints of underbrush and bay leaves. Full, rich and seductive in the mouth, it has firm, rounded tannins and just enough freshness to lift the dense fruit to a long finish."
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Decanter
93"The 2018 Croix has an IPT of 96 that comes from the unusually small size and thick skins of the Merlots, Cabernets and Petit Verdots. It's a huge wine filled with deep, vivid and intense pencil lead, cassis and sweet black cherry, with a silky texture. It's aged in 70% new oak but this is already well integrated, and the wine is wonderfully stretched out through the palate. An impressive La Croix."
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Jeb Dunnuck
91"While the 2018 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is often thought of as the second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou, it’s actually from a separate parcel on the northern part of the estate and is a stand-alone wine based on 55% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot that will spend 12 months in 60% new French oak. Offering terrific purity of fruit as well as notes of graphite, lead pencil, cassis, and blackberries, it’s medium to full-bodied, has a distinct sense of minerality, good structure, and outstanding length. I’d be thrilled to drink bottles over the coming decade or more."
Other vintages
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Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Saint-Julien
Saint-Julien is an appellation for distinctive red wines of the Haut-Médoc district of Bordeaux in the South West of France. The Appellation laws for Saint-Julien were created in 1936 and state that its wines must be made from grapes grown within the villages of Saint-Julien Beychevelle, or other specific parts of the areas of Cussac and Saint-Laurent. Some of the most renowned grapes approved for growth here are Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Located between the more famous appellations of Pauillac and Margaux, this wine region is a respectable source of refined, aromatic wines which also carry tannic and masculine notes.
Producing over 450,000 cases of wine each year, Saint-Julien is divided into two vital areas, which include the riverside estates around the village of St. Julien and Southern estates around the village of Beychevelle. Home to over 26 vineyards spanning an area of 910 hectares, this area is the smallest of the major Bordeaux appellations in Médoc, but has the highest ratio of classified terroir of any Bordeaux region. The soil type of this region is made up of extremely fine gravel for the vineyards bordering the river and for those vineyards more inland, the gravel is mixed with clay, that produce grapes with a wide spectrum of explosive flavour.
About the brand Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou
One of the oldest properties in the Médoc, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine that this property produces. The wine produced here was one of the 18 Cinquièmes Crus classified in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The site boasts high-quality soil, a favourable climate, and a team drawing on centuries of experience and expertise. Its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary greatly influences the region’s climate. Strong ocean winds cross the coastal pine forest and slow down as they meet air currents from the estuary, introducing a measure of humidity to the atmosphere. What’s more, the climate features excellent sunshine, hot summers, and mild winters.
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