Fantastic aromas of blackberries, blackcurrants, licorice and walnuts. So St.-Julien. Full-bodied with a solid core of fruit and chewy tannins that are really long and serious. Like the 1995 Ducru! One for the cellar. Needs at least until after 2028.

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.

Rich aromas of cassis, licorice, cigar wrapper, loamy soil and creamy new oak introduce Bruno Borie's 2019 La Croix de Beaucaillou, a full-bodied, deep and concentrated wine that's rich and lively, with a fleshy core of fruit and plenty of fine, chalky tannin. Like for example Clos du Marquis and Les Forts de Latour, La Croix de Beaucaillou isn't a second wine per se, but rather a cuvée produced from dedicated parcels.

The 2019 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is a dark, sumptuous wine. Black cherry, plum, leather, spice and licorice all flesh out in a gorgeous, inviting second Saint-Julien. All of the personality of the Grand Vin comes through nicely. La Croix has plenty to offer, but like all of the 2019s from Ducru, there is an edginess in the tannins that is impossible to fully look past.

According to Bruno Borie, ideal weather in September balanced the heat of the previous summer months. Readers will note a re-alignment of the range, with the two Listracs now gone and two new wines in the lineup. I tasted all of the 2019s in 100ml bottles that arrived in a very attractive package in less than 48 hours from Bordeaux. I applaud the desire to be respectful of the environment and not wasteful of wine, but I am not convinced this bottling system works yet. I found the 2019s all very hard, something that time did not help, with less of the fleshy and sumptuousness I am used to finding in these wines. I won't be surprised if the wines show better from a full bottle, but at the same time, I can only review and comment on the wines that were sent to me.