The 2014 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is show-stopping stuff, and it goes a long way toward proving how successful the northern parts of the Médoc were in this vintage. Lots of cassis, graphite, smoked tobacco, and damp earth define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, building tannins, and incredible length on the finish. It’s going to evolve for 30 to 40 years – and be drinkable for just about all of it! Oct 2023

We are now in the realm of truly young wines, and also in the realm of Ducru just totally hitting its stride and celebrating it potential. This is young and inky in colour, fresh with plenty of St Julien signature: real menthol freshness and cigar box seduction - great Cabernet flavours. This is barely getting going and is a wine that you want to know what happens next. Excellent stuff, spicy, powerful and juicy. 100% new oak. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2038
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 21 Sep 2019)
Part of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou vertical tasting: 1953-2018

One of the more powerful wines for the year, the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou surprises with its sheer concentration. A blast of dark cherry, crème de cassis, mocha, spice and chocolate makes a strong opening statement. Super-ripe, voluptuous and opulent, the wine possesses off-the-charts depth and richness. Ducru remains the most opulent and flamboyant of the 2014 Saint-Juliens. While some 2014s have faded a bit over the last two years, Ducru has barely budged. I imagine it will be many years before the 2014 starts drinking well. Proprietor Bruno Borie gave it 18 months in 100 % new French oak. Feb 2017

The 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of my favourite vintages of this decade and here it outclasses the 2015. Superb delineation, this exudes gorgeous blackberry and earthy scents on the nose, soon overtaken by saline, almost briny aromas wafting from the Gironde estuary. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, layers of black fruit, sweet with blood orange and Asian spices developing towards the finish. Blind, it might pick this as coming from a warmer summer. It’s a great Ducru-Beaucaillou with charm and personality. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château. July 2022

Surprisingly precocious, the wine already expresses charm, round, soft tannins, layers of black currants, cocoa, espresso, and blackberries. Round, soft, and forward, this is good to go now and is only going to get better with a few more years of cellaring. Drink from 2023-2040. Tasted Aug 2023