32 vintages of Ducru Beaucaillou between 1946 and 2021 reviewed

[greatbxfreak]

https://www.greatbordeauxwines.com/chat ... eaucaillou

[DavidG]

Very nice report Izak.

Any info on whether any of the bottles from the 80s were from the TCA/B affected vintages, and whether they were reconditioned at the Chateau? You mention questionable provenance for the 1989 - was that one of the affected years?

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks for your excellent report Izak

You noted that some wines like the 2004 and 2008 need more time while 1996 and 2000 have a very long life ahead, do you think with the more modern vintages - like 2017 - there has been a structural change at Ducru meaning these wines are much more accessible young?

I bought the 2014 on Jim’s enthusiastic review, and it is such a good wine and though young quite accessible. The 2017 sounds like a beauty and quite accessible already.

I recently purchased some 2019 and 2020 Ducru.

[JimHow]

I've got 18 bottles of the 2014 in my cellar, those wines will provide pleasure for years to come.
Did you ever try the 2019, GBF?

[greatbxfreak]

David G,

The tasting took place at a well-known restaurant in the center of Copenhagen. It has some of Denmark's best wine sommeliers. If some wines were tainted, oxidized, and corked, we would have been told. By saying questionable provenance, I meant improper storage. No wine among these 26 came directly from Ducru Beaucaillou's cellar.

Comte Flaneur,

Maybe they are more precise in winemaking and shorten the time of maceration to not over-extract and keep tannins silky. Haven't tasted 2014 yet.

JimH,

Haven't tasted 2014 yet. Many bottles of 2014 you have! What about purchasing some 2018s and 2016s?

[JimHow]

We were just talking about Joe Belmaati over the weekend, did you see him in your travels to Copenhagen?

[greatbxfreak]

JimHow,

My travels to Copenhagen?? I live in Copenhagen!

The last time I met him was in May 2005 during the otherworldy tasting of 65 vintages of Chateau Yquem.

[JimHow]

Duh yes. Joe seems to have disappeared around 2005 after writing a bunch of award winning music.

[greatbxfreak]

JimHow,

On his website, last news are from 2012.

I doubt he's much in wine tastings anymore.

[AKR]

Oh where have you gone Joltin' Joe?

[JimHow]

Joe was a very interesting guy.
I had a bottle (of Leoville Barton?) with him at the lounge in the W Hotel in Times Square, must’ve been about 2004, he was in town for the Grammys that was being held in NYC that year, Bono, Bonnie Raitt, Naomi Campbell, and others were floating around, we hit it off. He was a big deal in the music world, especially in Europe, they used to put on these super insane tastings, I know Whuzzup_ went to one, I want to say Tommy did as well?