Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2003

Bettane et Desseauve

La Revue du Vin de France

The Wine Independent

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

On a rapid evolutionary track, you already find secondary notes of wet forest floor, tobacco leaf, red spicy berries and smoke. The wine is round soft and polished, with a tobacco, spicy, red berry and mocha tinted finish. I would drink this over the next decade or so.

Jeb Dunnuck

Coming from a baking hot vintage, the 2003 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is nevertheless incredibly pure and balanced, with medium to full-bodied richness as well as textbook darker fruits, smoked tobacco, dried flowers, and a beautiful sense of minerality. Despite the vintage, nothing is out of place and the overall impression is a ripe, balanced, utterly classic Médoc, and the alcohol is a middle-of-the-road 13.5%. It's fully mature today yet has another 10-15 years of prime drinking followed by a graceful decline thereafter.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Produced the very first year that Bruno Borie took over management of the estate, there was no leaf thinning in July during this notoriously hot summer, allowing for more shade on the bunches. Medium to deep garnet in color with a touch of brick, the 2003 Ducru-Beaucaillou reveals opulent notes of Indian spices, cigar box, sandalwood and licorice with a crème de cassis and plum preserves core plus a hint of rose oil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm, chewy texture and lovely freshness delivering a very long, spicy finish.

James Suckling

ots of aromas of roasted fruit, such as blueberries and raisins, and spices. It has full body with plenty of velvety tannins and a long, slightly chewy finish. Needs another two or three years to come together but outstanding now.