95-100 / 100
Noncontractual photograph
Vintage | 1996 |
Rating | 95-100 |
Classification | Médoc - 2ème Cru Classé |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Saint Julien |
Colour | Red |
Volume | 0.75 l |
Price | From 200 € to 300 € |
Château | Ducru Beaucaillou |
Country | France |
Haut Medoc
PAUL JABOULET AINE La Chapelle 1996
Hermitage Rouge
CAVE DES VIGNERONS REUNIS 1996
Côte Chalonnaise
GERIN JEAN-MICHEL La Landonne 1996
Côte Rotie
CHAPOUTIER Ermitage Le Pavillon 1996
Hermitage Rouge
Champagne
Margaux
Côte Rotie
DOMAINE PEYRE ROSE Clos Syrah Leone 1996
Coteaux du Languedoc
I tasted the 1996 Ducru Beaucaillou on four separate occasions from bottle in January. The 1996 is long, with a deep mid-palate. It also reveals tannin in the finish. This wine is remarkable. It is muscular, concentrated, and classic. Bottled in late June, 1998, it exhibits a saturated rubypurple color, as well as a knock-out nose of minerals, licorice, cassis, and an unmistakable lead pencil smell that I often associate with top vintages of Lafite-Rothschild. It is sweet and full-bodied, yet unbelievably rich with no sense of heaviness or flabbiness. The wine possesses high tannin, but it is extremely ripe, and the sweetness of the black currant, spice-tinged Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is pronounced. This profound, backward Ducru-Beaucaillou is a must purchase. It will be fascinating for readers who own the 1996 to follow the evolution of this exceptional vintage.