Why it matters
The producer
Large gravel stones give Château Ducru-Beaucaillou its name, with Beaucaillou translating as beautiful stones. The estate has operated continuously as a family property since 1720. Its 75 hectares sit within a production averaging around 10,000 cases annually.
The château's wines are made in a style built for extended ageing. French oak provides slow oxygen contact and oak spice while the tannins soften over time. The estate began converting to organic farming with the 2018 vintage.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Saint-Julien is the estate's appellation in Bordeaux's Médoc region. Haut-Médoc is the wider regional designation around it, while Saint-Julien identifies the more specific address attached to Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.
The place name sits within Bordeaux's classified growth system, where the 1855 classification ranks estates rather than individual wines. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou holds Second Growth status in that system.
Wines to know
The range in view
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is the grand vin, the estate's principal wine. The 2020 vintage recalls 2010, with higher concentration of flavours and greater density of anthocyanins, the compounds behind red colour, and tannins. It ages for 18 to 20 months in 75 to 90 percent new French oak.
La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is the second wine, made as a more accessible and fruit driven interpretation of the château's style. Madame de Beaucaillou adds a Merlot led bottle to the range. Its blend is 68 percent Merlot, 17 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 percent Petit Verdot and 2 percent Cabernet Franc. It spends 12 months in barrel, including 20 percent new oak, and has silky tannins with a subtle, seductive palate.