la Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou2018
RED WINE
- Producer Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou
- Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- Appellation Saint-Julien
- UPC 0 15643 67164 7
Reviews
James Suckling 94
Aromas of blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant with violet and lavender, following through to a full body with very fine tannins and a creamy, beautifully caressing texture. Like the chocolate, walnut and berry aftertaste. Second wine of Ducru.
by JS, James Suckling , 2021
Wine Enthusiast 94
Richly juicy and intense, this wine is massive, with concentrated tannins and dusty texture. The wine has weight and density but is also impressively fresh with acidity. It's a successful combination for this second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou.
by RV, Wine Enthusiast , 2021
Wine Spectator 90-93
The solid core of kirsch and plum sauce flavors is laced with apple wood and graphite notes. Direct and well-built. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
by JM, Wine Spectator , 2019
Vinous Media 93
Just as it was en primeur, the 2018 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is rich, sensual and enveloping. Silky tannins wrap around a core of blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, lavender and new leather. All the elements are so well balanced in this sumptuous, racy Saint-Julien. A warm growing season yielded small berries and heady, concentrated flavors. This is such a gorgeous wine. The blend is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.
by AG, Vinous Media , 2021
Wine Advocate 92
The 2018 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 12 months in two-third new barriques. It has a pH of 3.75, 15% alcohol and an IPT (total polyphenol index) of 96. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls effortlessly out of the glass with vibrant notes of crushed blueberries, baked plums and blackcurrant cordial with hints of bouquet garni, underbrush, clove oil and cast-iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a sturdy frame of firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing earthy. Not a second wine as such, because it comes from a dedicated part of the vineyard, the blocks for La Croix de Beaucaillou are generally located on the south bank of the La Mouline steam.
by LPB, Wine Advocate , 2021
Technical Details
Description
The wines of La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou come from the vineyard of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. This exceptional Médoc terroir is situated between the Gironde River to the east, the center and the west of the Saint-Julien appellation. The estate owes its name to its “beautiful pebbles” ("beaux cailloux", in French) which, because of their high quartz content, make for soils that are poor in plant nutrients.It is precisely this “agrological paucity”, as the late Bordeaux professor and geographer, René Pijassou, described it, that makes them so well-suited to the production of fine wine. In the east, the plots are planted along the rolling Médoc ridges, just above the estuary, while those at the epicentre benefit from a microclimate nurtured by the little La Mouline stream that meanders through the middle of the appellation from west to east before disappearing into the Gironde.
La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is an original expression of the terroirs of Ducru-Beaucaillou, a blend that is one of a kind. Ducru-Beaucaillou’s elitist approach is fully at work here. As is a passion, that of a team dedicated to excellence. A high-flying wine that perfectly expresses its terroir of exception. This wine blends a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (around 60% each year), completed with Merlot Noir (35% to 37%) as well as a subtly spicy touch of Petit Verdot (3% to 5%). It is carefully aged for 12 months in barrels of which two-thirds are new each vintage.