La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou AC Saint Julien 2019

JD 95 / Decanter 94 / VM 94 pts

JD: The second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou, the 2019 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is based on 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot that was brought up in 60% new French oak. Tasting more like a grand vin than a second wine, its deep purple hue gives way to a deep, rich, beautifully concentrated, full-bodied Saint-Julien with awesome purity of fruit, lots of graphite, chocolate, and crushed stone, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s going to need 5-7 years of bottle age to hit maturity and is going to keep for two decades. It’s a serious bottle of wine.

Decanter: Deep damson colour and mouthfilling from the start, this expands outwards through the palate, filling up with concentrated yet plush berry fruits, notes of smoked oak, hazelnut, grilled liquorice. A real presence, approaches the 2016 but with more evident approachability. Appealing now but sure that it will close down pretty tightly for a while as this has a high tannin count of 88IPT.

VM: Outer quote mark The 2019 La Croix Ducru Beaucaillou is matured for 12 months in 60% new oak. Interestingly, that Earl Grey tincture continues to define this very classically styled wine, enhancing the black fruit. Hints of ash emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and plenty of graphite-infused black fruit that render this quite Pauillac in style. Impressively persistent on the tobacco-tinged finish. Leave this for 4–5 years in bottle just to smooth its edges.