Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 2010

JAMES SUCKLING: "The nose is phenomenal with perfect aromas of Cabernet Sauvignon with currant bush, blackberries and minerals. A pure expression of Cab. The palate is perfect with a full body, but has perfectly integrated tannins with a texture like the finest cashmere. It's strong but noble with perfect form and beauty. All in harmony. A fabulous wine that everyone who loves Bordeaux should have a bottle or case of. Better in 2020."

JEB DUNNUCK: "While I loved the 2010 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou on release I’ve always preferred the 2009. However, the 2010 showed sensationally on this occasion, and while in a different style than the 2009, it’s unquestionably as good. Still ruby/purple-hued, it offers up extraordinary notes of pure crème de cassis, unsmoked tobacco, spice, and damp earth, and it’s the purity of fruit as well as the incredible depth and intensity that makes this wine so special. Full-bodied, deep, profound, and seamless on the palate, it offers incredible pleasure today but it’s going to be a 50-year, if not a 100-year wine. Hats off to Bruno Borie."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Very deep garnet in color, the 2010 Ducru-Beaucaillou is just slightly closed to begin, featuring subtle wafts of baked plums, espresso and bay leaves before kicking it up a notch with expressive notes of blackcurrant cordial, chargrilled meats, woodsmoke and crushed rocks plus a tantalizing touch of truffles. Full-bodied, concentrated and oh-so-decadently fruited in the mouth, the palate is built like a brick house with firm, ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the tightly wound flavor layers, finishing with epic length and depth."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Inky, purple in color, with licorice Asian spice, wood, espresso, cocoa, coconut, blackberry and spice. Rich, fat, dense and concentrated, the tannins are ripe, polished and round. With richness and density, the wine is fleshy, intense and expansive, ending in a long wave of fresh, ripe, sweet, pure berries. Give this stunning wine time, it’s going to be worth the wait."

DECANTER: "There is tannin build up at this point in the vertical, but in the most enjoyable way - a clear indication of how much complexity there is in these wines and how densely knitted together they are, bedding down for the long term. This wine in particular has barely an end in sight, it just stretches out before you, confident in its fleshy texture and layers of expression. This is really at the top of what you hope from St Julien, confident and intense yet still with the balance and freshness of the appellation. It has great persistency and keeps hanging on, delivering flavour an inch at a time. Wonderful."

WEINWISSER: "20 % unter einer Normalernte. Ca. 115 000 Flaschen. 90 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 % Merlot. Tiefes Purpur. Feinfruchtiges Bouquet, rote, reife Pflaumen und viel Kirschnoten, feine Komplexität, fast nobel zurückhaltend. Im Gaumen superelegant, traumhaft balanciert, die massiv vorhandenen Gerbstoffe spürt man fast nicht, lange ausklingend."

FALSTAFF: "Sehr dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe; vollreife schwarze Beerenfrucht, zarte Orangenzesten, ein Hauch von Cassis, facettenreiches Bukett, typisch Ducru; stoffig, perfekte seidige Tannine, finessenreicher Säure­bogen, extraktsüß, zartes Karamell im Abgang, besitzt eine tolle Länge, bleibt sehr lange haften, herrliche Extraktsüße auch im Abgang."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Not shy at all, with a flamboyant, aromatic profile of roasted apple wood and warm ganache, featuring more than enough stuffing in the form of thickly layered blackberry paste, steeped fig and pastis-soaked plum flavors. The structure is massive but incredibly polished, and the fruit displays terrific purity through the graphite-supported finish. Large-scale and extremely well-rendered. Best from 2020 through 2040. 8,416 cases made. — JM"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A grand wine, it has great ripeness and richness, majestic in its structure and upright character. It is concentrated, perfumed and opulent. The style of Ducru Beaucaillou is both generous and powerful, and obviously ageworthy."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Very flamboyant cassis/kirsch nose, yet a neat, mineral-salty palate. Impressive control, very fine grain despite copious tannin. Alcohol now hidden; in fact this is generally showing much more class than two years ago. Built for the fairly long haul. (AH)"