95pts Wine Spectator

A monster in its infancy. Almost black in color, with intense cassis, herb and mint aromas and superrich, dense cassis and licorice flavors. May last forever.

95pts Decanter

Blackberry, mint and black pepper abound here. The palate has serious structure, with an emphasis on liquorice, restrained vanilla, cedar and earth. It's still pretty concentrated and voluptuous. Recorked at the château in 2001. The exact blend was not recorded, so the blend shown reflects the vineyard plantings, with 5% Petit Verdot.

94pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 1986 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou showed beautifully, with a ripe, layered, seamless profile. Ripe currants, leafy tobacco, and earthy, spicy nuances all define the aromatics, and it has a terrific sense of freshness, medium to full body, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's fully mature but there's plenty of life here, and it opens up nicely with time in the glass. I don't see any upside, but this will clearly evolve and hold nicely for over the coming 15+ years. It's a beautiful Ducru-Beaucaillou that's worth seeking out.

94pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Medium brick in color with a touch of brown, the 1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou reveals growing notes of dried mulberries, kirsch and raisin cake with nuances of celery salt, dried bay leaves, truffles and charcuterie plus hints of old leather sofa and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has quite a powerful structure with firm, chewy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular, dried berries flavors, finishing long with a dried mint kick.

Winemaker Notes

Supple yet full-bodied, a typically fine Saint Julien that needs at least 8-10 years to reveal its rich and fruity, elegant flavors of cassis, vanilla and ripe blackberries.

About the Winery

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou is named after the beautiful, large stones found in its unique wine-growing terroir. This exceptional ecosystem produces fine, elegant, tasty wines with a long finish - in short, archetypical Saint-Julien wines.

Perched on an exceptional site with incomparable views over the Gironde estuary, in the center of a hundred-year-old park, Ducru-Beaucaillou is a majestic, Victorian-style castle, which has, over time, become one of the great symbols of the Médoc. Unusual for Bordeaux, it is built directly above the barrel cellars, enveloping its owners, who have lived here for over sixty years.

Today, the estate is managed by the company Jean Eugène Borie SA, which is owned by Mrs Borie, her daughter Sabine Coiffe and her son Bruno-Eugène, CEO since 2003, the third generation of the Borie family to head the estate. There are very close links between this estate and the five families who have been its successive owners.