Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2016

La Revue du Vin de France

The Wine Independent

Andreas Larsson - Tasted

Fresh, intense and floral nose with fine layers with ripe dark fruit, cassis, black cherry with discreet oak, gentle notes of mocha and coffee bean with tobacco and sage. Very dense and persistent palate with well-preserved freshness, notes of crushed black currant with tobacco, sage and mint spiciness. Very digest and savoury finish with serious length, polished tannin like cocoa powder adding freshness and length.

VertdeVin

The nose is elegant, fruity and offers a beautiful definition, a beautiful race as well as a very fine intensity. It reveals notes of fleshy blackberry and wild strawberry associated with small touches of cassis as well as discreet hints of tonka bean, violet, Sichuan pepper, spices, graphite and an imperceptible hint of cardamom. The palate is fruity and offers a beautiful definition, delicacy, a beautiful finesse of the grain, a beautiful suavty , a very beautiful elegance, a beautiful finesse of the structure, an acidulous frame, a beautiful purity of the fruit as well as minerality. On the palate this wine expresses notes of blackberry, cassis and more slightly strawberry associated with touches of small fruits, liquorice , vanilla, an imperceptible hint of blueberry (in the background) as well as very fine touches of chocolate, toasted oak and a very discreet hint of caramelization. Beautiful chews on the finish. Tannisn are fine, elegant, well-built and struturing . Gourmandize and appetence on the aftertaste. A very beautiful wine, fine, elegant, delicate and perfectly well-balanced between power, concentration, gourmandize and elegance. Beautiful success ! Beautiful persistence !

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Powerful, intense, rich, long, full-bodied, and concentrated, the wine is almost off the charts. From start to finish, this is a wow wine! As good as the nose is, on the palate, the wine explodes. The fruit is expansive, building and moving as it coats your palate. The seamless finish hits every nook and cranny in your mouth with layer after layer of lush, opulent, complex fruits. Drink from 2030-2065.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Very deep purple-black in color, the 2016 Ducru-Beaucaillou delivers a pronounced, enticing nose of baked plums, blueberry preserves, fruitcake and boysenberry with suggestions of lilacs, mocha, hoisin and exotic spices plus a waft of cedar chest. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, the palate has layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and spicy nuances, matched by a very firm, grainy frame, finishing with epic length and depth.

Jeb Dunnuck

An absolute legendary wine that's as good as anything out there, the 2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is reminiscent of the 2010, yet perhaps with a touch more opulence. A total blockbuster of a wine, it offers huge minerality as well as pure crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and hints of tobacco that all emerge on the nose, and this fabulous Ducru-Beaucaillou is full-bodied, massively concentrated, and structured, yet somehow never loses its overarching sense of purity, balance, and elegance. This ultra-classic beauty deserves another decade of bottle age and will evolve gracefully for another 3-4 decades. Hats off to proprietor Bruno Borie for another incredible achievement.

James Suckling

Super perfumed, attractive violets with a thread of fresh blueberries, cassis, blackberries and dark plums, delivering a very enticing impression. Beautiful ripeness here. The tannins are perfectly ripe and layers meld into each other, carrying deep, graceful and plush, velvety dark fruit long into the vibrant and seductive, chocolate-laced finish. Great potential. Try from 2024.