Fabulous aromas of crushed berries such as blackberries and blackcurrants, not to mention spices. Wet earth and cedar, too. Complex. Full-bodied, yet agile and complete. A dense center palate. Ultra-round tannins. Everything in the right balance. Wonderful to taste but better to drink in 2022. #10 Wine of 2017 (Suckling)
We are now in the realm of truly young wines, and also in the realm of Ducru just totally hitting its stride and celebrating it potential. This is young and inky in colour, fresh with plenty of St Julien signature: real menthol freshness and cigar box seduction - great Cabernet flavours. This is barely getting going and is a wine that you want to know what happens next. Excellent stuff, spicy, powerful and juicy. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038.
This powerful wine has a superb mix of the crispest fruit and great structure. Blackberries and black currants shine through the tannins, expressing the liveliness of the vintage. It is so well delineated with everything in its place. The wine is certainly going to age for decades. Drink from 2027. (Cellar Selection)
I just love the style of this estate and the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is an undeniable success in the vintage. Made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot brought up in 100% new French oak, it offers a deep purple color as well as both elegance and power in its crème de cassis, raspberries, cedarwood, graphite, and floral bouquet, with its background oak smothered in fruit. Possessing a classic elegance, full-bodied richness, sweet tannin, and stunning length, it one of the wines of the vintage and will drink nicely for another two to three decades.
TWI
96pts
The Wine Independent
A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is deep garnet in color. It needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock notes of blackcurrant pastilles, baked plums, and tar, leading to hints of licorice, espresso, tapenade, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is taut and tightly wound with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and earthy. It seems to be in a closed phase right now. Give it a couple of years to open out and then enjoy it over the following 12-15 years.
Very deep garnet in color, the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou springs from the glass, offering vibrant notions of fresh black currants, black cherries and black raspberries with touches of spice box, licorice and fragrant soil plus a waft of lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate bursts with lively, crunchy black fruits, supported by ripe, grainy tannins and finishing on a lingering spicy note.
This is opulent, with layers of warmed fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture that loll along, yet are kept going by a graphite note that is well-buried throughout. Alluring black tea, singed mesquite and bittersweet cocoa accents add to the panache. A head-turner. Best from 2020 through 2040.
The 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of my favourite vintages of this decade and here it outclasses the 2015. Superb delineation, this exudes gorgeous blackberry and earthy scents on the nose, soon overtaken by saline, almost briny aromas wafting from the Gironde estuary. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, layers of black fruit, sweet with blood orange and Asian spices developing towards the finish. Blind, it might pick this as coming from a warmer summer. It’s a great Ducru-Beaucaillou with charm and personality. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.