LA CROIX DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU 2016
Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
The estate château ducru-beaucaillou was purchased by francois borie in 1941 and has remained in the family since along with the family's other estates château grand-puy-lacoste and château haut-batailley. In the mid-1980s the estate battled an infestation of tca in their cellars that marred several vintages including the 1988, 1989, and 1990. The chateau has since corrected the problem, and today the wines are fermented and aged in a new underground cellar created in the late 1990s. Today the estate is managed by bruno borie.
Ducru-beaucaillou produces two wines. The grand vin called château ducru-beaucaillou, and a second wine produced since 1995 to which lesser-quality lots are relegated, la croix de beaucaillou. The wines are aged for 18 months in 50% to 80% new oak barrels according to the richness of the vintage, fined with egg whites, lightly filtered, and then bottled.
SKU
CDCS201611 UCAU
$119.00
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The 2016 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
"It has quite a rich and opulent bouquet, quite glossy with scents of kirsch, crushed strawberry, crème de cassis and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sumptuous tannin counterbalance but a keen thread of acidity (the pH is 3.65). There is great tension here, immense purity with quite a structured, almost flinty finish that is classic in style." Neal Martin
The 2016 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
"It has quite a rich and opulent bouquet, quite glossy with scents of kirsch, crushed strawberry, crème de cassis and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sumptuous tannin counterbalance but a keen thread of acidity (the pH is 3.65). There is great tension here, immense purity with quite a structured, almost flinty finish that is classic in style." Neal Martin
Scores & Reviews
96* / 100
Wine Enthusiast
Barrel Sample. This is a firm, dark wine, with dense tannins. It is well balanced, having the ripe fruit that is the hallmark of this vintage. It comes from a single parcel of Ducru-Beaucaillou vineyards. It is likely to age over the long term while showing attractive fruit at an early stage. 94–96 points.
95* / 100
James Suckling
This is very tight and focused with blackberries, blackcurrants and licorice. Lots of crushed stones, too. Full-bodied, tightly wound and pretty. Exciting second wine from Ducru. 94-95 points.
94* / 100
Neal Martin
The 2016 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that is matured in 60% new oak for 12 months and the remainder in one-year-old barrels. It has quite a rich and opulent bouquet, quite glossy with scents of kirsch, crushed strawberry, crème de cassis and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sumptuous tannin counterbalance but a keen thread of acidity (the pH is 3.65). There is great tension here, immense purity with quite a structured, almost flinty finish that is classic in style. Though it is a Deuxième Vin, it deserves several years in bottle.
Drink Date: 2022 - 2045
94* / 100
Wine Spectator
This is lovely from the get-go, with notes of warm ganache and incense in front of a core of alluring crushed blueberry, açai and cassis flavors. Polished and suave on the finish. Score range: 91-94
92 / 100
Decanter
Produced from Gunz gravels on south-facing slopes, with their high iron-oxide content. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, with a 3.65ph and aged in 60% new oak barrels. The grapes were picked from 27th September to 5th October, taking advantage of the first rains of September but not those of October. Here they have the benefits of the fresh air from the Garonne river that Ducru looks out over, so long, slow ripening of the grapes is evident in a cooling, fresh finish that adds lift and juice to the black cherry fruits. Lovely spice evident through the palate also.
Drinking Window 2025 - 2040
Tasted by Jane Anson