With the 2022 en-primeur campaign well under way our Wine Director, David Allen MW, has a taste for Bordeaux – to satisfy this he tries a wine from star Saint Julien property Ducru Beaucaillou. The wine in question is Le Petit Ducru 2018.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a well-regarded estate in Saint-Julien on Bordeaux’s so-called “left bank” of the Gironde estuary. The estate and its grand vin (the estate’s principle wine) was rated a second growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
It is often described as the quintessential Saint-Julien – deeply colored and powerfully ripe, yet balanced and harmonious. The grand vin usually needs 10 years of aging and can last for decades. A second wine, Croix de Beaucaillou, is produced from a distinct set of vineyards nr Chateau Talbot.
The 75-hectare (185-acre) vineyard is situated in the southeast of the appellation, north of the village of Beychevelle and bordering Branaire-Ducru and Beychevelle to the south, with Léoville and Langoa Barton to the north. The château itself lies relatively close to the broad Gironde estuary, which moderates the local microclimate and gives some protection from frost and hail. On the deeper gravel layers of the vineyard there is enhanced drainage, evening warmth, and a protective layer stopping the subsoil from drying out in heat waves.
Alluvial deposits and a high clay content enrich the soil, and the vineyard takes its name from these “beautiful stones”. It is planted 70 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent to Merlot.
Grapes are sorted in the vineyard on mobile tables to promptly separate out any unhealthy grapes, and specific vineyard plots are vinified separately. Barrel-ageing uses between 50-80 percent new wood, depending on the vintage.
The château is unusual for the region in being built directly over the wine cellars, and in that it is still inhabited by the family who own the estate.
Learn more about this wine, its price and availability to purchase, by following this link to the Wine-Searcher website:
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