The winery is named after Bertrand Ducru, who purchased the estate in 1795 and the estate’s “beautiful stones” or Beaucaillou in French. The winery is pronounced “Due crew boo kai you”.
The Johnston family purchased the estate in 1866. In 1878, the winery created “Bordeaux Soup”, which was used to solve the mildew problem many Bordeaux wineries suffered from, which was then used by many other wineries. The winery was sold to the Desbarats family in 1929 and then sold to the Borie family in 1941, who still own the winery. They also own Grand Puy Lacoste. Bruno Borie has managed the winery since 2003.
The estate did have a TCA issue in the cellar between about 1986 to 1994 but the problem was resolved by about 1995 and all affected bottles were recorked. This bottle was rebottled at the winery in 2011 and was in excellent condition.
The estate is around 75 hectares and planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot grapes. The wine is aged in oak for 18 months in 100% new oak barrels.
The quality of the wine has continued to increase over the years as they have increased the % of new oak barrels used and decreased the quantity of the wine produced from 20,000 cases in the 1990s to around 8,000 to 9,000 cases today.
1986 is one of my all time favourite vintages of Ducru Beaucaillou. I have, over the last 20 or so years, drunk at least a dozen or more bottles of this wine and always enjoyed it. It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Since 1996, the blend of the Grand Cru wine no longer contains any Petit Verdot or Cabernet Franc.
For more information about this winery, please visit their website at https://chateau-ducru-beaucaillou.com/en
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13 Comments
Am a big fan of Ducru’s myself. Never had a pre-2000 bottle, but most recently opened a 2014 one and it was lovely. The unfortunate thing is that everyone recognizes this wine’s greatness and therefore the price is up there already.
We don’t see this wine by me often. Most of the time we only have the “La Croix”
Very nice tasting! Just got back from Paris and skipped buying this jewel… maybe next time. Greetings from Brazil!
Those personal memories and stories is what wine is all about! Thanks for sharing what makes this wine so special for you.
Have you ever done a cellar collection walkthrough?
There’s something so magical about experiencing a wine that has a sentimental meaning in your life — whether it’s what drew you into a special wine region or where you fell love with wine or something you shared with people you love and cherish, these are the moments that fuel my passion for wine.
Thank you for sharing yours with us and agree that ‘86 Bordeaux are drinking wonderfully still — I’d love to get my hands on an ‘85 Ducru as well. Seeing recent vintages since 2016 are getting fantastic reviews, excited to see how those age over the next 15-25!
Fantastic video as always.
Hi mate, just curious to ask what glass you are using in this video. Is that a riedel vinum Cabernet or Bordeaux or Syrah glass?
David – Australia
Amazing experience!
What a privilege.
Great video. Never had Ducru myself, but the 86 vintage is a great one for longevity. I've heard it's the robust tannins that give wines from this vintage a magnificent ability to preserve themselves for decades. Both right and left banks are strong. I also enjoy your point about ratings, and how they are so personal. Keep up the great work. (Also….Bordeaux with oysters?! I'll take your word for it that this was a good match!).
Thanks for sharing Trophy, learned a lot from all your videos. I just started collecting wine and I have a case of Ducru Beaucaillou 2016. Considering its long aging potential, I always wondered when would be a good time to open the first bottle, in its drinking window (15+ years) or earlier in its youth and see how it evolves over time. What's your preference or view on this?
I love ducru every time i drink it and yet for some reason i barely ever buy it
Would you be willing to do a video going over certain decades (1970s or 1980s etc) of wine and reviewing what vintages were the best and worst for a few of the main regions (nappa/Bordeaux/burgundy/Tuscany/or whatever you like). I think it be interesting to hear about the different quality of the regions from year to year.
Just scored a bottle from 1986 on auction, excited!