April 18, 2024 - Consistent with my note from 15 months ago,, I do feel ths is just entering the later stages of its prime drinking window. Blueberry and bell pepper are prominent, with a deeply aromatic nose and decent balance and depth on the palate. As noted last time, as the fruit has faded, the finish has been compromised, and is a little astringent. Minimal decanting is needed.
March 6, 2024 - At 26 years, the structure has softened and the wine shows a beautiful balance. It has not the depth of great vintages, but is a lot of pleasure to drink. A bottle from the same cellar two years ago, was at ipeak and full of tertiary aromas, this bottle showed quite a bit younger. A very good but not exceptional vintage for Ducru Beaucaillou.
TN: The bouquet was slightly subdued and not very well delineated, the magic happened on the palate. Expressive and intense with lots of graphite minerality at the core, red and dark berries, some herbs to complement. Almost no tertiary aromas yet and only medium complexity/precision. Quite classic Bordeaux, with a touch of
Decanting: Decanted for roughly one hour, which seemed ideal.
March 1, 2024 - A famous chateau and, to me, in this case a big disappointment. Not much fruit, very much less elegant than I expected. My guess is that this wine has already declined, but since it is at present not much fun to drink I will keep my remaining bottle just to see what happens in a few years. Glad that I only paid 37 Euro for a bottle more than 2 decades ago.
February 5, 2024 - Tasted blind. Sweet core of red cherry, graphite and pencil shavings minerality. Dried flowers. Delicate aging notes of dry leather and mushrooms. A detailed and layered, highly appealing nose. The palate was not quite holding up, however. The structure couldn‘t quite offset the remnant acidity. Thinning out into the finish. This is probably in the back half of its drinking window now.
January 7, 2024 - Typical aromas of a matured left-bank-Bdx. Gave it 3 hours of air in the bottle. Fruit has disappeared, tertiary aromas of wet earth, mushrooms, cedar. Good melted tannin-structure. Long finish. Good wine but not the best Quality/Price-Range. I think that it won't improve over but will be at this stage for the next decade. Drink or hold!
December 8, 2023 - opened and poured half into glasses at start of meal to drink with entree about an hour and a half later. So inviting after the wait. Not for those afraid of bell pepper. Blackberry, blueberry and gravel. With lamb chops.
July 31, 2023 - well structured, complex and mature bouquet. Notes of dried cherry, fading black currant, herbal tea, spice, dried flowers, forest floor and pencil shavings. Drinking excellently
May 26, 2023 - Not fully mature yet, still got some tannic backbone, and needs a couple of years of time to resolve it. Slightly leathery nose of black fruits, rather spicy, the palate is rich, a little sweet, a little tannic!
March 18, 2023 - Lovely wine. Elegant nose of leather, cassis, a bit of cedar and tobacco, herbs. Palate w cassis, some green peppers, leather. Nice acids on a medium body with mild-med tannins. Nice finish. Liked this a bit more than 1990 Sociando. Drinking really well now.
March 18, 2023 - deepish young purple-red color, maturing nose, cedar, fruit in hiding but showing hints of development, on the palate firm and austere good depth leading into a good long fiinish that also shows some austerity, with time cassis notes become more evident- but overall this really remained shut down all evening allowing only its structure to be fully analyzed, where the excellent Margaux is ready and Mouton is close- I really think this needs at least another decade to fully show itself, time will tell but I think this may well develop along the lines of the best 1966 Bordeaux, closed as it was- this is very promising and worth another decade or so of patience.
(***)+, likely **** in due course, 2030++