Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2005

Bettane et Desseauve

La Revue du Vin de France

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Dense, dark, deep, intense, long, and full-bodied, the wine is continuing to develop, flesh out, soften, and add complexities. Now, you find earthy, forest floor, tobacco leaf, cedar, lead pencil currants, and truffle. The wine finishes with a big blast of spicy, sweet, fleshy black currants and a tannic backbone for aging. Give it only another few years in the bottle, and it should really start to deliver the goods. The wine blends 67% Cabernet Sauvignon with 33% Merlot. Drink from 2025-2060.

Jeb Dunnuck

Another wine in its prime drinking window, gorgeous cassis and darker currants as well as leafy tobacco, loamy earth, and graphite define the aromatics of the 2005 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a deep, layered, structured style that has everything in the right places. Its purity of fruit is just about off the charts, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this evolve similarly to the 1982. It will continue developing additional complexity over the coming decade, and this will unquestionably still be drinking beautifully at 50+ years after the vintage.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Deep garnet colored, the 2005 Ducru-Beaucaillou needs a little coaxing before slipping sensuously out of the glass with the most alluring perfume of red roses, kirsch, star anise, cardamom and fragrant earth over a core of blackcurrant pastilles, blackberry preserves and warm plums plus a touch of tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a wonderfully taut, tightly knit frame of fine-grained tannins and bold freshness supporting the densely packed fruit, finishing long and perfumed.

James Suckling

A nice, complex wine with notes of flowers, berries and leather in the nose. Full-bodied, with pure fruit that turns from light raspberry to cherry jam. This is balanced and silky, a beautiful harmony. Give this some time if you can.