Fabulous aromas of crushed berries such as blackberries and blackcurrants, not to mention spices. Wet earth and cedar, too. Complex. Full-bodied, yet agile and complete. A dense center palate. Ultra-round tannins. Everything in the right balance. Wonderful to taste but better to drink in 2022.

Here we see the potential of 2014 in the right hands, and this stands out from its neighbours in northern Médoc, one to note down and look out for. Silky tannins, a ton of cocoa bean, bitter chocolate and espresso, blueberry and cassis fruits, along with turmeric, liqourice and clove spice. Perfectly-pitched acidity that softens into capuccinno creaminess though the mid palate followed by a juicy signoff. Slow build, just delicious. 100% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant, Virginie Sallette technical director.

The 2014 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is show-stopping stuff, and it goes a long way toward proving how successful the northern parts of the Médoc were in this vintage. Lots of cassis, graphite, smoked tobacco, and damp earth define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, building tannins, and incredible length on the finish. It’s going to evolve for 30 to 40 years – and be drinkable for just about all of it!

Intensely fragrant nose, really quite perfumed and floral and expressive. Supple and alive, though quite highly charged too – fruit is ripe but the tannins are a little compact so you get a push-pull of flavour and texture. Good persistence from start to finish with nice attention to detail and I like the quite impactful tannins giving the structure which takes over the fruity fun a little at this point. Feels tight and young still but still with great promise.

A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is deep garnet in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock notes of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums, and tar, leading to hints of licorice, espresso, tapenade, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is taut and tightly wound with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and earthy. It seems to be in a closed phase right now. Give it a couple of years to open out and then enjoy it over the following 12-15 years. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

This powerful wine has a superb mix of the crispest fruit and great structure. Blackberries and black currants shine through the tannins, expressing the liveliness of the vintage. It is so well delineated with everything in its place. The wine is certainly going to age for decades. Drink from 2027. — R.V

Surprisingly precocious, the wine already expresses charm, round, soft tannins, layers of black currants, cocoa, espresso, and blackberries. Round, soft, and forward, this is good to go now and is only going to get better with a few more years of cellaring. Drink from 2023-2040.

Very deep garnet in color, the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou springs from the glass, offering vibrant notions of fresh black currants, black cherries and black raspberries with touches of spice box, licorice and fragrant soil plus a waft of lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate bursts with lively, crunchy black fruits, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and finishing on a lingering spicy note. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Opulent, with layers of warmed fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture that loll along, yet are kept going by a terrific graphite note that is well-buried throughout. Alluring black tea, singed mesquite and bittersweet cocoa accents add to the panache. A head-turner. Best from 2020 through 2040. From France. — J.M.

The 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a stronger performer than many of its peers in this vintage. Extremely well-defined on the nose, this exudes a sense of classicism, black fruit mixed with loam, autumn leaves and a whiff of the nearby estuary. The palate is medium-bodied with black fruit laced with spices, marmalade and cedar, binding together nicely towards the finish, which has a sense of control and impressive length. Excellent, though the bottle tasted blind at Southwold felt a little harder. -- Neal Martin