Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

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In the glass

Aroma: cassis, dark cherry, violets, pencil shavings, cedar

Palate: black plum, graphite, tobacco, silky tannins, Gunzian gravel minerality

Archetype of refined Saint-Julien: cassis and dark cherry on a bed of Gunzian gravel minerality, with perfectly integrated silky tannins and an exceptionally lengthy finish.

What it pairs with

• Rack of Pauillac lamb with herb crust The wine's firm tannin structure and cedar notes harmonise with the lanolin richness of local lamb.More wines for lamb →
• Aged Comté or Ossau-Iraty Crystalline mountain-cheese salt sharpens the wine's cassis fruit without overwhelming it.More wines for aged hard cheese →
• Roasted wood pigeon with truffle jus Gamey, earthy register of pigeon mirrors the wine's tobacco and graphite notes.More wines for truffles →
• Entrecôte bordelaise Classic Bordeaux pairing: the wine's dark fruit and firm grip cut the marbling of a rib-eye.More wines for steak →

With cheese

Ossau-Iraty Our pick These Saint-Julien reds are Cabernet Sauvignon-led, full-bodied, with firm to high tannin, high acidity and cassis. INAO describes the cheese as firm and melting, salted without excess. Its syndicate suggests structured reds, naming South-West ones such as Madiran.

How to serve Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Allow 95 minutes from open to pour.

1. Open and decant. Open 90 minutes before serving and pour into a decanter to aerate.
2. Serve at 16-18°C. Cellar temperature (16-18°C) is the band for this style. Warmer pushes alcohol forward; colder dampens aromatics.
3. Glassware. Use a large Bordeaux-style glass. The bowl shape rewards the wine's structure.
4. Pair with. Rack of Pauillac lamb with herb crust, Aged Comté or Ossau-Iraty, Roasted wood pigeon with truffle jus. Match the wine's structure to the dish's fat and salt.

History

The estate traces its modern identity to 1720 when it was established as a family property in the Médoc. The distinctive name references the Gunzian quartz-pebble soils ('beaux cailloux') along the Gironde. The Borie family acquired it in 1941 and elevated it to super-second status through rigorous selection.

1. 1720Property established as a Médoc wine estate
2. 1855Classified Deuxième Cru in the Bordeaux 1855 Classification
3. 1941Borie family purchase and quality revival begins
4. 1995Second wine La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou introduced

Facts

Producer

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou · visiting guide

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon (82%), Merlot (18%)

Classification

Saint-Julien AOC, Deuxième Cru Classé (1855)

Oak

75-90% new French oak barrels, 18-20 months

ABV

13.5%

Production

120,000 bottles

Price

€200-400 at retail

Drinking window

10-35 from vintage

First vintage

1720

Organic

ECOCERT

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