The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a pretty significant departure from the past, as it is nearly pure Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, aristocratic wine, the 2021 possesses remarkable intensity from start to finish. Inky dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate and leather are some of the myriad nuances that develop with some aeration. The 2021 is so well balanced. The 100% new oak, often quite dominant in Ducru en primeur, is so well integrated, likely because lower alcohol extracted less oak imprint. The 2021 is a drop dead gorgeous wine, and a Ducru for the ages. Superb.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2022

Firm, structured and pure with a cool and solid core of dark currants, blackberries, tar, pencil lead and bitter chocolate. Hints of tobacco, too. Firm but silky tannins. Very pure, with a long, mineral finish. Intense and very focused. 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% merlot.
May 2022

Plush depth to the savoury black fruit, with the highest ever level of Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine, and it's a stand out in the vintage. Not the exuberance that you find in the most recent years of Ducru, but it is excellent, with a creaminess to the cassis fruit alongside rose petal and peony aromatics. Sculpted and seductive, with the austere tannins that are a signature of the year. 100% new oak, IPT 100.
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, May 2022

A wine that will delight Médoc purists, the 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of fully 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot and checks in at a mere 12.5% alcohol. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cigar wrapper, violets, loamy soil and spices, it's full-bodied, layered and velvety, with superb depth at the core, lively acids and powdery tannins. Complete and penetrating, it's a true classic, reminiscent of a modern-day version of Ducru's brilliant 1996—though today's precision winemaking means that the 2021 is unlikely to go through so long a hibernation as that vintage.
William Kelley, April 2022

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou was picked at around 24hL/ha and matured in 100% new oak for 18 months, as is customary. It takes time to unfold in the glass, revealing intense blackberry, raspberry, iris flowers and a touch of spice. Very precise, though as expected, more understated than previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, saline entry and good grip. Classic in style, fanning out toward the finish, and briny on the aftertaste. This is a fascinating, almost old-school Ducru-Beaucaillou. Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2022

Really quite alluring perfume, plenty of elegant red and black fruit, black tea, nori, graphite, fine wet gravel. Quite dense, structured, polished tannins, not voluptuous but chiselled with precision and a fine dry mineral character. Elegant red and black cherry fruit, some blackcurrant fruit and leaf, but not green. Sophisticated.
April 2022

The 2021 Ducru-Beaucaillou is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot, the highest-ever proportion of Cabernet, harvested from 21 September to 11 October. Deep garnet-purple colored, it features evocative notes of blackcurrant jelly, fresh plums, and black raspberries. Light-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins - beautifully ripe - with a lively backbone supporting the intense, tightly wound black fruits, leading to a long and earthy finish to this impressive wine. pH 3.88. 101 IPT.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, May 2022

Deep, bright purple hue. Elegant cedar, dark-fruit and cassis nose. Lovely depth of fruit, velvety texture, abundant but polished tannins and lingering freshness. Drives on the finish. A well-groomed thoroughbred. Pure, precise and long and a little more classic than recent years. (JL) 12.5%
Drink 2030 – 2050
Jancisrobinson.com, May 2022