Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 2013

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is real wine with a tasty and rich palate with chocolate, stone and berry. Medium to full body with refined tannins and a savory texture. A wine for pleasure. Drink or hold."

WEINWISSER: "26 hl/ha. Etwas mehr als eine halbe Ernte. 90 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 % Merlot. 100 % neue Barriques. Dunkles Granat, recht satt in der Mitte, rubiner Rand. Sublimer, feiner Duft, Damassinepflaumen, Milchkaffee, Kirschentöne, aber auch etwas fein Florales, Verspieltes zeigend. Im Gaumen seidig, sehr elegant, die Tannine sind bereits wunderschön im mild anmutenden Extrakt integriert, im Finale lang, zart ausklingend. Ein seidiger Ducru mit wenig Druck, aber trotzdem grosser Klasse. Vielleicht wird das ein grosser, moderner Claret von der Leichtigkeit her. Es gab aber immer schon grosse und gleichzeitig leichte Ducrus (1966, 1970, 1971) in der Vergangenheit. Aber das werden wohl wenige Degustatoren so sehen."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "The tannin structure of this wine is firm and dense considering the vintage, giving impressive concentration that contrasts with the ripe black berry and plum fruits that are beginning to show through. The wine is already balanced, the hints of wood smoothing the fresh, bright black-currant flavors. Drink from 2024."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Fresh, forward and charming, while it lacks the complexity and power experienced in the best vintages, there is a richness here that is quite impressive for a 2013 wine. The sweet, ripe, plums and cassis are right there where you need them. This is a vintage of Ducru Beaucaillou to drink early in life while you wait for the bigger, more powerful years too age and develop."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2013 Ducru Beaucaillou has an open and generous bouquet that deserves applause considering the growing season. Dark berry fruit, tar and undergrowth scents, even after a couple of years you could considering opening a bottle. The palate is well balanced with fine tannin, silky smooth and dare I say, almost Burgundy-like towards the finish that shows no signs of any greenness. Considering the challenges of the vintage, Bruno Borie should consider this a success. I would drink this over the next decade. Tasted December 2016."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarter Wasserrand, feine dunkle Beerenfrucht, zarter Nougat, süße Gewürze, ein Hauch von Edelholz, noch etwas verhalten. Frische Kirschen, angenehme Extraktsüße, mit lebendiger Säurestruktur unterlegt, gut eingebundene seidige Tannine, hat Länge, gutes Entwicklungspotenzial."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Very suave from the start, with ample singed spice and black tea aromas giving way to alluring plum coulis and blackberry confiture flavors. The finish is polished but hardly shy on depth, as a lingering alder edge adds spine. Sneakily long, this marks a deft handling of the vintage. Best from 2018 through 2028."