1966 | Ducru Beaucaillou | Saint-Julien

Detailed Description

Medium brown colored with a touch of brick, the 1966 Ducru-Beaucaillou gives up savory notions of smoked meats, sautéed herbs and tapenade over a core of salted nuts, Fig Newtons and tobacco. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lot of freshness with finely grained tannins and loads of perfumed nuances coming through on the finish.

Reviews:

• John Gilman: This most recent bottle of the ’66 Ducru was absolutely monumental, soaring from the glass in a deep and vigorous blend of black cherries, sweet dark berries, cigar box, complex, gravelly soil tones, a touch of eucalyptus, espresso and a classy topnote of rose petals. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very suave on the attack, with a rock solid core of fruit, a “cool fruit” profile, melting tannins and stunning length and grip on the very, very complex and nicely tangy finish.

• Wine Advocate: Medium brown colored with a touch of brick, the 1966 Ducru-Beaucaillou gives up savory notions of smoked meats, sautéed herbs and tapenade over a core of salted nuts, Fig Newtons and tobacco. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lot of freshness with finely grained tannins and loads of perfumed nuances coming through on the finish.

Producer Information

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a well-regarded wine estate in the Saint-Julien appellation of Bordeaux’s Haut-Médoc wine region, on the so-called “left bank” of the Gironde estuary. The estate and its eponymous grand vin (the estate’s principle wine) was rated a second growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. It is often described as the quintessential Saint-Julien – deeply colored and powerfully ripe, yet balanced and harmonious. The grand vin usually needs 10 years of aging and can last for decades. A second wine, Croix de Beaucaillou, is also produced from the Ducru vineyard. The 75-hectare (185-acre) vineyard is situated in the southeast of the appellation, north of the village of Beychevelle and bordering Branaire-Ducru and Beychevelle to the south, with Léoville and Langoa Barton to the north. The Ducru-Beaucaillou château and estate lies relatively close to the broad Gironde estuary, which moderates the local microclimate and gives some protection from frost and hail. On the deeper gravel layers of the vineyard there is enhanced drainage, evening warmth, and a protective layer stopping the subsoil from drying out in heat waves. Alluvial deposits and a high clay content enrich the soil, and the vineyard takes its name from these “beautiful stones”. It is planted 70 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent to Merlot.