The 1998 vintage is still vibrant and fresh with plum, black berries, mint aromas with leather and rose petal notes with air. Juicy and very charming, the palate is classic with building tannins, some tension, and a nicely integrated oak. This is a mature Ducru-Beaucaillou that can wait another 10 years in the cellar. Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032
Tasted by: Yohan Castaing (at Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 01 Jun 2021)
Part of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical tasting: 1953-2018

One of the top wines from the Medoc, in this Right Bank vintage offers a lot of character and style. The wine is elegant, soft and shows a lot of polish to the sweet, cassis and plums, that are only made better by the notes of tobacco, cedar and wet earth. The wine was produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. This is quite good now and should get even better with time. Tasted May 2015

The 1998 Ducru-Beaucaillou, matured in two-thirds new oak, is so much better than the succeeding vintage, one that I have admired since first tasting it just after bottling. There is much more complexity and personality on the nose with vivacious red berry fruit, the rose petals and kirsch that I noticed before, maybe here with accentuated earthiness. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, classic in style, the oak nicely integrated. There is commendable weight and persistence, especially in terms of salinity on the finish. Whilst not as refined as recent vintages, this is maturing well. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.

Red-ruby. Perfumed, sappy aromas of redcurrant, flowers and minerals. Intensely flavored, high-pitched and penetrating, with a deep core of spice contributing to the impression of vinosity. Shows a youthful austerity today. Finishes very long and brisk, with substantial, dusty tannins. I always think of Michael Broadbent descriptor flavory (actually, flavoury) when I taste a dry, classic vintage of Ducru.

Drink 2008-2025
-Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide No 7

A supremely elegant, dense purple-colored effort, the 1998 reveals aromas of cassis, black raspberries, minerals, and currants. Precise, well-delineated, and medium to full-bodied, with magnificent purity and understated elegance, this noble, restrained wine reveals a tannic finish, suggesting 4-5 more years of cellaring is warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.

Mid blackish garnet. Lifted nose with quite noticeable acidity. Hint of something floral. Then sweet-cassis palate entry and nice, gentle balance with just the right amount of sweetness. Dry finish with a bit of tannin left, more than in the 1999. Lots of concentration. Balsam on the finish. Just opening out!
JR - April 2022