Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 2008

Professional Ratings

• 95 Jeb Dunnuck
  A gem from the Left Bank is the 2008 Château Ducru Beaucaillou, which comes from just one-third of the total production and is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. This brilliant Saint-Julien boasts a still vivid ruby/purple color as well as a head-turning bouquet of crème de cassis, high-class smoke tobacco, truffle, and some gravelly, rocky minerality. Possessing medium to full-bodied richness, silky tannins, and thrilling purity of fruit, it’s just at the early stages of its drink window and has an easy two decades or more of prime drinking.
• 95 Decanter
  This has real depth of flavour, with an extremely good quality, juicy slate and mineral-filled finish. The emphasis, however, is upfront and all about the brambly blackberry and bilberry fruits, edged with liquorice, eucalyptus and hedgerow. It's hugely enjoyable to see such different personalities from vintage to vintage.
• 94 Wine Enthusiast
  Chocolate, coffee and sweet plum notes give this wine great richness. It has wood that needs time to integrate, although the main character is beautiful, velvet-textured, ripe fruit and plenty of sweet tannins.
• 94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Deep garnet colored, the 2008 Ducru-Beaucaillou begins a little broody, giving up glimpses of tar, chargrill, moss covered tree bark and fungi scents over a core of baked plums, warm cassis and blackberry compote plus a touch of unsmoked cigars. Medium-bodied, the palate has firm, ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the earth laced black fruit layers, finishing minerally.
• 94 James Suckling
  Wow. This is really impressive for the vintage, with a solid core of raspberry, currants and spices. Full and round, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Superb winemaking for the vintage.
• 92 Wine Spectator
  This is dark and brooding, with a tarry wall holding the black currant, melted licorice and espresso notes at bay for now. Extra roasted sage, cedar and briar push in on the finish, which showsan old-school hint. Rock-solid.