External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.9 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 39 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by HeavyPourWine on 12/31/2023 & rated 87 points: NYE Vino Fest (Atlanta, GA): Tasted at the annual 2023 New Years Eve Vino Fest in Atlanta. BYOB and guests were encouraged to bring wines with years ending with a 3. No formal notes, just scores. This was not great. Past peak? Poured most of it into the dump bucket. Brad - heavypourwine.com (593 views) | | | Tasted by Nothung on 12/3/2021 & rated 90 points: Really good for a poor vintage, but at the end of the day it’s still a poor vintage (2212 views) | | | Tasted by asgerG on 12/12/2020 & rated 93 points: DnP. Surprisingly dark garnet red, orange tinged, 5,5. Mature elegant bouquet, pencil, cassis, cedar. Elegant harmonious palate, almost resolved tannins, well balanced, elegant finish. Drink now - onwards. Beautiful example of a very well balanced and elegant Bdx in a mediocre vintage. (2553 views) | | | Tasted by ploher on 2/29/2020 & rated 88 points: Restaurant purchase, thus no detailed notes. Solid Bordeaux and respectable effort for the vintage. Good and still very much alive, but I would drink this sooner than later. (3110 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 5/6/2019 & rated 92 points: Fine-boned nose, light and lively, full of pencil, ash, and redcurrant. Refreshing, herb-tinged and pencil palate with a lovely finish. 1993 is regarded as a catastrophic year and, while not a great one, it did produce some delicious St. Juliens. (4471 views) | | | Tasted by Nothung on 1/1/2019 & rated 90 points: Definitely not a great, or even very good, vintage, but a noble effort and a nice bottle of wine. Exhibits the classic St Julien/Ducru notes, just a bit subdued. (3435 views) | | | Tasted by MKTaylor on 11/20/2018: Trying 1/2 tonight and the rest tomorrow (2391 views) | | | Tasted by guribh on 9/26/2018 & rated 90 points: Surprisingly good (given the vintage). Still dark with only a hint of brick. Quite dense color. Classic refined nose of lead pencil and faint fruit, almost tertiary aromas. Medium bodied (lighter than top vintages, of course) and very decent length. Classy! (2194 views) | | | Tasted by mckillop on 9/2/2018 flawed bottle: Totally corked. This bottle was way past it's prime. (1839 views) | | | Tasted by Aravind Asok on 12/25/2017: Eh. Pop and pour. A little thin on the nose which shows loads of green and charcoal, maybe a hint of blackberry in the background. On the palate, also a bit thin and dilute, but good acidity and black cherry fruit. Picks up a bit of weight on the finish, which still shows some slight tannin.
Day 2: open, unrefrigerated on the counter overnight. Loads of tobacco, charcoal and dark black fruit. Much better with prime rib. (2403 views) | | | Tasted by jeffclavier on 9/20/2016 & rated 91 points: Still unbelievably fresh, structured. A few more years to go. (4115 views) | | | Tasted by tmhouse on 4/9/2016 & rated 92 points: Drank this with the 76 and it was good but preferred. Strong dark fruit well balanced with a complex mid palate and a smooth finish. Drinking well. (4848 views) | | | Tasted by Anders C J on 1/24/2016 & rated 90 points: Decanted for an hour. Still greate structure and body. Lots of tannins but has reached its peak. Classic bordeaux and very enjoyable. Wish I had this one 3 years earlier. (4858 views) | | | Tasted by Dryckesupplevelser on 8/14/2015 & rated 91 points: Ylle, blyerts, ceder och cigarr i doften. Betydligt med frukt i smaken. Fortfarande svung i tanninerna men en ganska kort eftersmak. Stort slott från en svag årgång. (5353 views) | | | Tasted by johnnyrichardson on 5/2/2015 & rated 88 points: lacks concentration but still quite classy. Hasn't improved in past few years so...drink up! (4944 views) | | | Tasted by jeffclavier on 1/12/2015 & rated 91 points: Need at least one hour in decanter before opening up, still had a lot of structure, nose and tannins. Very enjoyable. (3621 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 2/24/2013 & rated 89 points: Return to San Anontio (Ducru Vertical); 2/21/2013-2/24/2013 (Monty): Somehow missed this until the end. This was weedy, herbal, and almost vegetal on the nose. Little fruit left but an enjoyable herbal jubilee was left in a light Bdx with a little chewy tannin left. Finish was short but I quite enjoyed this. Quite good given the challenges of the vintage. Drink up, seemed to clearly be on the downward slope. Not a Bdx for everyone. 89-90. (6369 views) | | | Tasted by Win-E on 2/21/2013 & rated 89 points: Green moss, earthy, mushroom and raw peeled potatoes. Not our favorite CDB. Terroir and cassis. (4920 views) | | | Tasted by johnnyrichardson on 9/2/2012 & rated 88 points: this is slowly getting nicer and nicer....now a perfect Sunday lunch claret..very classy (5152 views) | | | Tasted by hargy on 2/25/2011 & rated 89 points: I'm with Jools on this one - surprisingly good for a 1993 - drink soon (6623 views) | | | Tasted by Jools on 5/13/2010 & rated 89 points: Garnet with bricking light rim. A fresh nose, mint, cassis, leather, tobacco. Lovely ripe cabernet. Blueberry. Very broad. Didn't know I had such a broad mouth. Medium bodied and elegant. Somewhat reserved though, as if holding back and not finding the courage. Nevertheless very lovely. 12,5 % alc. (6816 views) | | | Tasted by johnnyrichardson on 4/17/2009 & rated 85 points: Everything is good about this wine, but at quite a low "volume". Would easily be overwhelmed by the wrong food choice. Not worth buying, but if you have it, drink now, most enjoyable (5664 views) | | | Tasted by Anders C J on 2/1/2009 & rated 87 points: Great Saint Julien. However definetely time to drink now. Unfortunately didn't open up fully, as tannins are diminishing (5615 views) | | | Tasted by johnnyrichardson on 9/23/2007 & rated 87 points: Nose promised much but not a lot behind it - good attack, but not much length. a bit thin and slightly astringent. Unmemorable; enjoyable now though and I think it's unlikely to improve. (5538 views) | | | Tasted by cjstrunk on 12/25/2006 & rated 88 points: Great with the roasted prime rib. It had classic notes of cedar, tobacco and dried currants. Great balance for a wine from a tough vintage. Drinking well now, would not hold it much longer. Open it up and drank over 2-3 hours, it drank well the entire time. (5750 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Ducru-Beaucaillou Producer website - Read more about Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
A visit to Ducru Beaucaillou -https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/ducru-beaucaillou.html
"Pour Boys" Chicago vertical tasting of Ducru Beaucaillou -
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/11/ducru-beaucaillou-vertical-showcases.html
Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.St. Julien VdB
Read more detailed information on St. Julien and its wines The seventeenth century pioneers Traces are to be found of a Saint-Julien de Rintrac, perhaps Saint-Julien's earliest name, as from the thirteenth century. But we have to wait until the seventeenth century pioneers, urban and rural aristocrats, discover the exceptional merits of these terroirs.
Traces of this system still exist today in the structure of estates within the appellation: by the side of the two villages of Beychevelle and Saint-Julien, the large estates are heavily preponderant, representing more than four fifths of the total surface of vineyards.
The terrain is practically identical over all the commune. Only the proximity of the estuary, sometimes close, sometimes further away, can cause slight variations in climate. In fact, Saint-Julien-Beychevelle's layer of gravel takes the form of a huge rectangle over 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. And the alluvial deposits are particularly well fragmented into ridges of Garonne gravel of the early Quaternary. Accordingly, the vines are safeguarded from stagnant water.
The wines from the Saint-Julien appellation may be recognized by their unparalleled bouquet, particularly harmonious and mild. They have a fine deep colour and combine the finesse of their aromas and a solid constitution. They have body, are very rich in flavour and have a delicious and delicate bouquet.
Production conditions (Decree dated November 14, 1936)
In order to have the right to the Saint-Julien appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the commune of Saint-Julien and from precisely defined parcels in the communes of Cussac, and Saint-Laurent, "excluding the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
|
