Remarkably fresh and delicate nose yet classic and aromatic and full of spicy and graphite notes with liquorice, blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, and cherry. Very fresh and elegant, the palate is formidable and shows the classic style of Ducru-Beaucaillou with its characteristic tension and upright structure and the powerful personality of a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine from one of the great terroirs of the Médoc. Bravo! Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040.

- Yohan Castaing, Decanter (June 2021)

Concentrated, opulent, deep, ripe, sensuous, and mouthcoating, this is a majestic vintage with incredibly, creamy, silky tannins, length, purity, and denseness, with a mouth-filling finish that is close to seamless from start to finish. The wine blends 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Merlot. Drink from 2025-2055.

- Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (September 2023)

Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou bursts from the glass with bombastic crème de cassis, black cherry compote and preserved plums notes followed by hints of menthol, hoisin, dusty soil and incense plus fragrant wafts of candied violets and baker’s chocolate. Full bodied, rich and spicy in the mouth, the palate offers a beautifully plush texture and bags of freshness, finishing long and layered. An absolute powerhouse!

The 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a fantastic wine. Here it bursts from the glass, perhaps less Pauillac-like than previous bottles, beautifully defined with a smorgasbord of red and black fruit laced with cedar and tobacco. There is no hedonism here, just wonderful intensity and focus. The palate is fresh on the entry with a fine bead of acidity, very poise yet powerful with a multi-layered finish that just lacquers the mouth. It probably needs another 5-6 years in bottle, but what a wine. Stunning. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château. Drinking Window 2025 - 2065.

- Neal Martin, Vinous (June 2021)

Inky ruby. Intense mineral high notes complement aromas of cassis, smoke and quinine on the deep, very pure nose. Then seamless and graceful in the mouth, with very smooth, glossy, ripe black fruit and mineral flavors lifted by bright harmonious acidity, which confers a sense of refinement to all the plush fruit. The very long finish shows a persistent note of violet. Though this is an atypically big and creamy Ducru, it manages a precise delivery of archetypical Saint-Julien flavors and refinement.

(an 85/15 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot; 13.5% alcohol; pH 3.69; IPT 90; 90% new oak) Inky purple. The nose starts off almost overripe, then turns fresh and bright with air, revealing floral ripe black plum, cassis and pepper aromas. Enters pure and velvety, initially seeming almost outsized in its concentration of opulent, spicy red and black fruit flavors. But for such a plush, powerful wine, this finishes with a classically dry impression, rich and long, with palate-dusting flavor and chewy tannins. A very big wine for Saint-Julien, this Ducru will certainly need at least a few years after release to develop a bit more finesse. It reminds me of the fine '71 made here, but with the added power of the '61.

This is a wine with split personality. The nose is luxurious, bordering on soppy, but open and lots of fun, with typical overripe aromas of dried apricot and blackberry jam. The palate, though, is packed with tannin and drying oak, as well as surprising, disjointed acid (something I noticed in the second wine too in this vintage). Good concentration and length, but will it ever knit? (AH)

The cold, dry winter followed by mid-April showers led to later budding and allowed the soils to stock the required water for the upcoming season. May and June were warm and sunny leading to fast, early flowering. The summer was dry and warm, without extremes of heat, but was exceptionally sunny with just the right amount of rain at the right times. September 21 until the end of harvest saw a dry spell with above seasonal temperatures, especially in October, ideal for the final ripening of the skins.' Harvest: 23 September – 9 October. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 18 months in new French oak. According to the Ducru rating scale, another 'mythic' vintage. Deep garnet with narrow brick rim. Complex and classic aromas of cigar box, really fragrant with air, and then leaner and fresher in the mouth than expected. Chewy and sinewy and really enjoyable now. Still a big wine. (JH)

Starting a duo of magical vintages, the 2009 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of those wines that always seems to deliver the goods. A normal blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that hit 13.5% natural alcohol, it has a soaring bouquet of sweet blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, minty herbs, graphite, and assorted spicy nuances. It's full-bodied, broad, expansive, and flawlessly balanced, and has still present yet sweet, fine-grained tannins. It's in a much sexier, more showy style compared to the 2010, but I suspect it will nevertheless be just about as long-lived. This is pure perfection in wine. Maturity 2023 - 2098.

- Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (October 2023)

The 2009 Ducru Beaucaillou will eclipse the brilliant wines produced in 2005, 2003 and 2000. It will be interesting to see how the 2009 fares against the 2010 after twenty years of aging, but my money is on the 2009. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, this inky purple, unctuous wine possesses classic aromas of graphite, creme de cassis, blueberries, violets, licorice and Christmas fruitcake. Full-bodied and intense with Ducru’s inimitable elegance and purity, it should firm up in the bottle after 7-10 years of cellaring and last for 40-50 years. Magnificent! Drink Date: 2019 - 2069.

- Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate (December 2011)