Winemaker Notes
Bright, deep, purple in color. The nose is very charming and refined. Fresh, fruity, underpinned by a note of French oak, Morello cherry jam, violet. Spicy notes on aeration.
Clean attack, silky tannins. A pleasurable wine, delicious, subtle and seductive. Beautiful harmony and elegant femininity.
Blend: 68% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Really floral and pretty with currants, cherries and some violets and stones. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture. Attractive tannins and stony undertones. A large percentage of merlot with the cabernet, making it fresh and firm. Sophisticated.
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Decanter
Entirely new wine this year from Ducru Beaucaillou plots in Haut-Medoc (in Cussac Fort Médoc, just over the border). This has a juicy balance, and round supple tannins, approachable but with ageing potential if you want to wait four or five years before opening. High levels of Petit Verdot help add spice and deepen the feel of the wine. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Barrel Sample: 91 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the Haut- Médoc and bottled in May, the 2019 Madame De Beaucaillou reveals a deep ruby/purple as well as a great nose of red and black cherries, leafy herbs, damp earth, and flowers. Medium-bodied, mouth-filling, and balanced, it has the vintage's purity and focus front and center yet still brings plenty of fruit, texture, and pleasure. Drink this beauty over the coming 4-6 years. Best After 2022
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A new wine in the range, made from the vineyards that Ducru-Beaucaillou owns in the Haut-Medoc, the 2019 Madame de Beaucaillou is a blend of 68% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 13.92% and the pH is 3.62. It is set to age for 12 months in French oak barrels, 20% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sails out of the glass with notions of plums preserves, blueberry pie and Morello cherries plus hints of cinnamon stick, clove oil and candied violets plus a waft of Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with rich black fruit and a plush texture, offering oodles of freshness to lift the spicy nuances to a long finish.
Barrel Score: 88-90
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.