This is very tight and focused with blackberries, blackcurrants and licorice. Lots of crushed stones, too. Full-bodied, tightly wound and pretty. Exciting second wine from Ducru. - March 2017

The always-reliable second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou, the Croix shows the same purity and polish as its big brother - and boasts packaging designed by Jade Jagger. Attractively perfumed, deep, musky and stacked with dark fruit. Sweetly fruited, ripe and plump, fine tannins, pure blackcurrant fruit. Classy indeed. - April 2017

The 2016 La Croix de Beaucaillou is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot that is matured in 60% new oak for 12 months and the remainder in one-year-old barrels. It has quite a rich and opulent bouquet, quite glossy with scents of kirsch, crushed strawberry, crème de cassis and a touch of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with quite sumptuous tannin counterbalance but a keen thread of acidity (the pH is 3.65). There is great tension here, immense purity with quite a structured, almost flinty finish that is classic in style. Though it is a Deuxième Vin, it deserves several years in bottle. - Wine Advocate #230, April 2017

This is lovely from the get-go, with notes of warm ganache and incense in front of a core of alluring crushed blueberry, açai and cassis flavors. Polished and suave on the finish. - James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, April 2017)

The 2016 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is a wine of pure sensuality. Silky tannins, soft contours and deeply spiced flavors inform this racy, supple Saint-Julien from proprietor Bruno Borie. A gracious yet dense wine, the 2016 will drink well with minimal cellaring. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off the 2016. It is a wine of pure and total pleasure. Tasted two times. - vinous.com, April 2017

Bright, deep crimson. Tastes so dramatic that it's on the edge – almost camembert notes. Lots of spiciness and glamour and then the oak insists a bit. The new oak is a tad obvious at the moment. Drink 2026-2040. - jancisrobinson.com, April 2017