Vintage 1996
A.O.C. Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou’s wines are fitting of this simply magnificent château and resplendent gardens, giving this Saint-Juilen heavyweight the unofficial title as a ‘Super Second’ – a second growth producing wines equal or superior to the illustrious first growths. It is, in our opinion, right at the top of the ladder in Bordeaux’s Saint-Julien district.
Ducru-Beaucaillou is named after the beautiful stones (‘beaux cailloux’) found in its unique wine-growing soils, and is managed by the affable and welcoming Bruno-Eugene Borie, whose family has owned Ducru-Beaucaillou for 60 years.
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“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.” eRobertParker.com (Mar 2012)
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Code: 100212
Optimum Drinking Period: 2008-2035
Robert Parker: 96
Wine Spectator: 91
Stephen Tanzer: 94
