2001 Ducru Beaucaillou
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Tasting notes
The 2001 Ducru-Beaucaillou, matured in two-thirds new oak for 12 months, is a vintage that I feel has never quite lived up to the billing given the performances of its peers. Now at 20-years of age, the nose is more evolved than others, attractive though with clove, loam, tomato vine and red berry fruit. I wonder if it needs a little more hang time? The palate is medium-bodied with light tannins, a lilting Ducru-Beaucaillou, well balanced but for want of a better expression, it seems to lack ambition. Drinking perfectly now, I don’t think it will repay extended cellaring. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 18 months in French oak ( 90% new). Relatively late harvest in October after some quite irregular weather. Tricky crumbly corks. Blackish crimson. Lots of tertiary ripe-fruit flavours. Nicely balanced with some ferrous notes and round fruit. Lighter than the Bruno-era (2003 onwards) wines, without noticeable tannin. Not desperately long but lovely nose. (JR)
Dark crimson. Relatively light and aromatic. Polished. Quite different texture to the Léoville 2001s. Much lighter and smoother. Quite evolved with attractive stoniness on the end. (JR)
About the producer
Second Growth estate Ch. Ducru-Beaucaillou in Saint-Julien is one of the Super Seconds, an elite group of properties producing wines that regularly compete with the finest in the Médoc.