Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 2008
- Producer Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou
-
Blend
85% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot - Country France
- Region Bordeaux
- Appellation Saint-Julien
- UPC 3 760131 684605
Tasting notes
The 2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou exhibits a beautiful robe of a profound violet colour, firm
to the rim. The nose is rich, with scents of creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) and
redcurrant liqueur, and elegant nuances of roasted coffee. After a sweet and fleshy
attack, the wine builds up in the mouth, revealing power and structure. It is akin to a
Roman construction, all in roundness, but imposing. Particularly suave tannins
buttress the persistent and powerful finish.
Vintage
Let's put things simply and straightforwardly: 2008 is a very good vintage. The wines are pleasant, powerful, albeit unctuous and smooth. Well-structured and complex, they are unquestionably superior to their 2004 counterparts, more corpulent than the 2007s and more sensual than the 2006s.
At Ducru-Beaucaillou, we spared no effort to produce the finest possible wine, to commemorate the birth of my first newborn son Louis-Eugene!
At Ducru-Beaucaillou, we spared no effort to produce the finest possible wine, to commemorate the birth of my first newborn son Louis-Eugene!
Climatic conditions
The 2008 vintage was forged by climatic conditions nearly identical to those that occurred in 1988.
The entire growing cycle was influenced by an unstable climate, periods of fine weather alternating with less favourable conditions for the vineyard. The month of July was sunny and dry, but August and the first fortnight of September were less auspicious.
As from the 15th of September, sunshine prevailed once again and, undoing the most pessimistic predictions, favoured the perfect maturing of the grapes. The flowering occurred at the beginning of June and the harvest started on the first days of October. It is unquestionably the record length of the growing cycle (120 days, i.e. 2 weeks more than average) that accounts for the exceptional richness characteristic of the 2008 vintage.
The entire growing cycle was influenced by an unstable climate, periods of fine weather alternating with less favourable conditions for the vineyard. The month of July was sunny and dry, but August and the first fortnight of September were less auspicious.
As from the 15th of September, sunshine prevailed once again and, undoing the most pessimistic predictions, favoured the perfect maturing of the grapes. The flowering occurred at the beginning of June and the harvest started on the first days of October. It is unquestionably the record length of the growing cycle (120 days, i.e. 2 weeks more than average) that accounts for the exceptional richness characteristic of the 2008 vintage.
Viticulture
Exactly as in 2007, we had to compensate the effects of the average climatic conditions by well-planned manual interventions in the vineyard, namely leaf pulling and crop thinning in July, and a second session of leaf pulling in August. Each and every one of the million vines of the estate benefitted from the greatest care: we wanted to make the most of the benefits of the climate, while efficiently countering the adverse effects of the pests and diseases that threatened the vineyard. Such an ambitious endeavour could not have succeeded without the motivation and total commitment of our team throughout the entire growing cycle.
But our goal was met, and we harvested grapes that were all at once rich, 2008 vintage report concentrated, healthy and mature. The 180 workers on the estate were divided into three teams, each composed of 40 pickers, 10 porters, 10 drivers and persons in charge of the sorting of the grapes. The harvest started on the 2nd of October with the picking of the Merlot and ended on the 16th of October when the last batches of Cabernet Sauvignon were sent to the winery; there was a planned interruption of 3 days between the picking of the two varietals. Working relentlessly to overcome modest climatic conditions that, some years ago, would have forged average wines, the team at Ducru-Beaucaillou, more than ever committed to quality and to the exigencies of wine lovers throughout the world, strove to produce no less than perfect wines.
But our goal was met, and we harvested grapes that were all at once rich, 2008 vintage report concentrated, healthy and mature. The 180 workers on the estate were divided into three teams, each composed of 40 pickers, 10 porters, 10 drivers and persons in charge of the sorting of the grapes. The harvest started on the 2nd of October with the picking of the Merlot and ended on the 16th of October when the last batches of Cabernet Sauvignon were sent to the winery; there was a planned interruption of 3 days between the picking of the two varietals. Working relentlessly to overcome modest climatic conditions that, some years ago, would have forged average wines, the team at Ducru-Beaucaillou, more than ever committed to quality and to the exigencies of wine lovers throughout the world, strove to produce no less than perfect wines.
