The fine tannins come through clearly here with black berries and hints of lavender. Medium-bodied with really fine tannins. Medium finish. A blend 75% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon and rest petit verdot.

The 2022 Le Petit Ducru pulses with notable energy. Graphite, lavender, mocha and licorice play off a core of blue/purplish fruit in this mid-weight, vibrant Saint-Julien. All the elements are so well-balanced. This is beautifully done.

Creamy generosity to the blackberry and cassis fruits, showing intensity and depth, knitted down right now, and with clear ageing potential and heavy black pepper spice. Tasted twice, this is an En Primeur wine to its boots, feels young and full of promise. 25ha on western side of St Julien (formerly Lalande Borie until 2018, plus sourcing from across the appellation), 3.77ph, IPT86, 43% new oak for ageing.

The 2022 Le Petit Ducru has turned out especially well this year, offering up aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with tobacco leaf and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and fleshy palate that's unusually supple and polished.

Coming from the western side of Saint-Julien and functioning basically as a third wine of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, the 2022 Petit Ducru De Ducru-Beaucaillou is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot raised in a mix of new and used barrels. A beautiful wine, it has plenty of Saint-Julien elegance and purity as well as cassis-driven fruits, notes of violet, spicy oak, and scorched earth, medium to full body, and just a silky, elegant mouthfeel. It's going to drink nicely right out of the gate.

The 2022 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru Beaucaillou, which includes declassified lots of the First and Second wine, has a svelte bouquet with plush red cherries, raspberry coulis, tobacco and light floral scents. The 43% new oak is neatly enmeshed. The palate is fresh and structured on the entry. This is quite Pauillac-like in style, thanks to the graphite element. It's taut and linear before fanning out toward the finish. This is an impressive Le Petit Ducru.