Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou   Ducru Beaucaillou

1996 Ducru Beaucaillou

By Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou

Review of the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, St-Julien, Bordeaux

In the pantheon of Bordeaux’s fine wines, the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou is a release that continues to garner the admiration of collectors and investors alike. With my four decades of vinous endeavours, I've found this particular vintage offers a masterclass in the union of power and elegance that characterizes an exceptional St-Julien.

 

A Vintage Year of Stature

Reflecting upon the climatic tapestry of 1996, Bordeaux enjoyed a year where time-honoured vintners' skills were tested to harness the gifts of nature. The resultant vintage at Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou provides us with a testament to meticulous vineyard management and deft craftsmanship in the cellar.

The meteorological almanac casts light on a season marked by contrasting episodes: an auspicious start, a challenging mid-season with uneven weather, followed by a sublime Indian summer that allowed for optimal ripening. This capricious interplay conspired to craft grapes embodying a compelling concentration and vitality, which are mirrored in this majestic expression.

 

Tasting Notes: Elegance and Endurance Intricately Intertwined

The 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou reveals a breathtaking harmony between structure and suppleness. Its bouquet entrances with cedary pencil shavings interlaced with dark cherries and a hint of cigar box – elements which promise development over years but tantalisingly unfurl in the present. On the palate, one encounters layers of blackcurrant and supple leather, guided by tannins that have softened yet offer resolute support; alluding to an intriguing life ahead within the bottle's confines.

Anchoring these qualities is a remarkable freshness - thanks no doubt to the late harvest - endowing this wine with longevity that investors rightly prize. Indeed, at auction or within one's personal cellar, this vintage remains one of substantial repute.

 

Investment Perspective: The Horizon Broadens for 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou

Provenance is key to any esteemed wine investment portfolio, and with such distinct accolades attributed to the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou from Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou by critics and connoisseurs, it is considered a linchpin holding vast potential for prudent investors. Holding gracefully for over two decades now, bottles of this St-Julien marvel showcase not only their inherent quality but also their resilience in market desirability.

The profound character and aging potential of the 1996 vintage underscore its status as a bastion of excellence within Bordeaux collections. Whether sought for pleasure or investment purposes, this Ducru Beaucaillou remains an emblematic representation of both its storied terroir and its vintner's undiminished skill - a wise acquisition for any enthusiast to consider.

Current market price

£2,010.00

12x75cl

Highest score

96

POP score

125.63

Scores and tasting notes

96

I tasted the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou on four separate occasions from bottle in January. The 1996 is long, with a deep mid-palate. It also reveals tannin in the finish. This wine is remarkable. It is muscular, concentrated, and classic. Bottled in late June, 1998, it exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, as well as a knock-out nose of minerals, licorice, cassis, and an unmistakable lead pencil smell that I often associate with top vintages of Lafite-Rothschild. It is sweet and full-bodied, yet unbelievably rich with no sense of heaviness or flabbiness. The wine possesses high tannin, but it is extremely ripe, and the sweetness of the black currant, spice-tinged Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is pronounced. This profound, backward Ducru-Beaucaillou is a must purchase. It will be fascinating for readers who own the 1996 to follow the evolution of this exceptional vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.

Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #122 April 1999

93

The 1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot harvested from the 23rd of September to the 8th of October. Medium brick colored, it delivers mature notes of sweaty leather, camphor, tobacco and dried mulberries with a core of kirsch, charcuterie and dried cranberries plus a waft of sandalwood. Medium-bodied, the palate has fantastic freshness with a light chewiness to the texture and loads of herbs spark red and black fruits, finishing earthy.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 13 August 2020

93

Another great showing from one of the estate's finest wines of the 1990s. In fact, I think the 1996 will surpass the 1995. It has consistent aromas with the bottle last year: blackberry, smoke, tobacco with that tincture of sandalwood, whilst the palate has a svelte texture that belies the firm tannins engendered by the ripe Cabernet Sauvignon. It just builds and builds in the mouth to a very refined finish that can only leave a smile on your face. Delectable. Tasted November 2011.

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Mar 2012

Vintage performance