94 -96 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 1997

On the plane ride back home from France, I was reflecting on the extraordinary job Xavier Borie, his brother Bruno, and their father Jean-Eugene, have accomplished in both the 1995 and 1996 vintages. At Haut-Batailley, Grand-Puy-Lacoste, and Ducru-Beaucaillou, they have produced 1996s that are the finest wines since 1982. I had all three wines on three different occasions during my two weeks in Bordeaux, and the resulting tasting notes were identical.

95 -96 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, February 1998

This extraordinary wine may be the greatest Ducru-Beaucaillou I have ever tasted. For now, let's call it the finest wine made at this estate since 1982. Moreover, it is developing in such a manner that it may even eclipse that renowned vintage. The 1996 boasts an opaque black/ruby/purple color, as well as a glorious, complex nose of lead pencil, licorice, weedy cassis, and subtle pain grille notes. Exquisite rich fruit is presented in a medium-bodied, undeniably elegant yet gloriously intense, pure format. The wine, which coats the palate with glycerin and intense fruit, displays a floral quality that suggests both blueberries and blackberries in its flavor profile. There is copious tannin, but it is largely overwhelmed by the wine's glycerin, fruit, and overall presence in the mouth. The 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a surreal beauty that should age effortlessly. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030.

96 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, April 1999

I tasted the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou on four separate occasions from bottle in January. The 1996 is long, with a deep mid-palate. It also reveals tannin in the finish. This wine is remarkable. It is muscular, concentrated, and classic. Bottled in late June, 1998, it exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, as well as a knock-out nose of minerals, licorice, cassis, and an unmistakable lead pencil smell that I often associate with top vintages of Lafite-Rothschild. It is sweet and full-bodied, yet unbelievably rich with no sense of heaviness or flabbiness. The wine possesses high tannin, but it is extremely ripe, and the sweetness of the black currant, spice-tinged Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is pronounced. This profound, backward Ducru-Beaucaillou is a must purchase. It will be fascinating for readers who own the 1996 to follow the evolution of this exceptional vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.

92 points,

Wine Spectator, January 1999

A thoroughly outstanding wine, sleek and racy with loads of character. Intense floral and blackberry aromas, with hints of mineral. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long, long finish. Give it time. Best after 2003

About Winery

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou is named after the beautiful, large stones found in its unique wine-growing terroir. This exceptional ecosystem produces fine, elegant, tasty wines, with a long finish - in short, archetypal Saint-Julien wines.
 
Perched on an exceptional site with incomparable views over the Gironde estuary, in the centre of a hundred-year-old park, Ducru-Beaucaillou is a majestic, Victorian-style castle, which has, over time, become one of the great symbols of the Médoc. Unusually for Bordeaux, it is built directly above the barrel cellars, enveloping its owners, who have lived here for over sixty years, in the sumptuous aromas of their wine.

Today, the estate is managed by the company Jean Eugène Borie SA, which is owned by Mrs Borie, her daughter Sabine Coiffe and her son Bruno-Eugène, CEO since 2003, the third generation of the Borie family to head the estate.
 
There are very close links between this estate and the five families who have been its successive owners.

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