2003 Ducru Beaucaillou

[AlexR]

There were 14 second growths in the 1855 classification of Médoc wines. Perhaps half of these can be considered “super seconds” with a significantly a higher market price than the category average. I can even remember a time when one of them, Léoville Las Cases, tried to close the gap with the first growths… but ultimately failing.

Ducru Beaucaillou is unquestionably a super second growth. The jewel of the Borie family estates has long enjoyed a very high reputation, with the exception of vintages from 1988-1994 which suffered from TCA taint transmittted by wood in the cellar.
I have enjoyed many excellent bottles of Ducru, and special mention for the very special 1961 and 1982 vintages.
A recent post by Christopher Edwards from Norfolk, England, on the UK Wine Pages board intrigued me. He compared several top 2003 Médocs, and found Ducru Beaucaillou: was the most advanced. This made me think that it was perhaps about time for me to open my one and only bottle of this wine.
Yes, the wine was browning on the rim, but still had a very deep, dark core after 19 years. It also had an almost viscous aspect. I thought this might be explained by the degree of alcohol, but the label said 13°. which, even allowing for a half a degree tolerance, was lower than I expected.
The nose showed hints of spice, black fruit, cedar, and chocolate. It was appealing, but not indicative of a great year.
I served the wine blind to my wife, who guessed it was from the Right Bank. I could totally see where she was coming from since the full-bodied richness and liquorice flavor were indeed reminiscent of Merlot, even if this variety only accounted for 25% of the blend.

So much has been written about the 2003 vintage that I was inevitably on the lookout for certain negative characteristics (alcoholic heat, flabbiness, hollowness, etc.). On the whole I did not find these, except for some dried fruit nuances and an above-average – but not overwhelming – impression of alcohol on the rather dry finish. On the whole, this was a vinous, full-bodied Médoc that did not seem like it could be from anywhere other than Bordeaux. I would have preferred to open the wine a few years earlier, but it was by no means seriously flagging. While not from a “politically correct” vintage, this 2003 Ducru held its own and did justice to the estate’s reputation.
it also makes me think that I should start investigating any other 2003 wines I have left in the cellar.


Alex R.

[jckba]

I recently had a similar realization with a second growth wine that I loved from the vintage in the 2003 Leoville Barton. I’ve had this wine many of times and while they may have been somewhat variable, they always used to fall in that 93-97 point range for my palate and the last several bottles have been less focused and not as enjoyable. I bought 30, drank 20, encountered 1 corked bottle and had 9 left until earlier this week when I came to the conclusion that I no longer wanted to drink this wine and subsequently sent the remainder off to consignment.

Still have some Ducru and Montrose and will have to decide their fate sooner rather than later.