Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 2009

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2009 Ducru Beaucaillou will eclipse the brilliant wines produced in 2005, 2003 and 2000. It will be interesting to see how the 2009 fares against the 2010 after twenty years of aging, but my money is on the 2009. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot that achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, this inky purple, unctuous wine possesses classic aromas of graphite, creme de cassis, blueberries, violets, licorice and Christmas fruitcake. Full-bodied and intense with Ducru’s inimitable elegance and purity, it should firm up in the bottle after 7-10 years of cellaring and last for 40-50 years. Magnificent!"

WEINWISSER: "85 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 % Merlot. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Überraschend wuchtiges Bouquet von schwarzen Kirschen, Brombeergelée, Trüffeln, Zedern und Black Currant, noble Süsse, sehr edel im Ansatz. Perfekter, feinseidiger Gaumen mit viel Schmelz und delikat-pfeffriger Rasse, viel Lakritz und Szechuanpfeffer im dicken, fetten Extrakt, im Finale «schwarze» Aromen. Das volle Tanninpaket stützt den für einen Beaucaillou ungewöhnlich hohen Alkoholgehalt von 13,5 Vol.-%."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou is pure perfection and a much more sexy, opulent wine compared to the 2010. Crème de cassis, licorice, spice-box, lead pencil shavings and dried flower notes all – literally – soar from the glass of this incredible wine. Full-bodied, layered, expansive and deep, with sweet, sweet tannin and no hard edges, it’s already impossible to resist, yet is going to keep for four to five decades. I think the 2010 will be a longer-lived wine, but I’m not sure it will ever deliver the opulence or hedonistic pleasure of the 2009. Either way, that’s a fun comparison I look forward to having over the coming decades!"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Now the truffle, crushed stone, Cuban cigar, flowers and crème de cassis is starting to bloom. With ample weight, density, length and purity, silky tannins and vibrancy, at just 10 years of age, this is really starting take off. Nothing is out of place, everything is in balance and the finish, with all its layers of fruit, spice and freshness lets you know, this is a wine of unique character Age this for another 5, 10-15 years and its only going to get better. This stunner should age and evolve with little effort for at least 30 more years or longer."

DECANTER: "Rich, powerful and intense, this is still inky in colour at 10 years, barely out of the starting gate. It's a wonderful wine, full of pleasure, still fresh and young, with cinnamon and saffron spice, eucalyptus, menthol-edging, and drenched in dark, juicy fruits. Great stuff, with the clear ability to power on for decades."

FALSTAFF: "Feine balsamische Würze, Brombeerkonfit, tabakige Nuancen, zartes Cassis, attraktives Bukett. Süß und rund, enorme Extraktsüße, dunkle Beeren, schokoladiger Abgang, lange anhaftend, frische Struktur, Zitrus im Finish, sehr großes Potenzial."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Big and powerful, structured, with bitter chocolate and blackberry flavors. The wine is dense, the fruit enormous. But it does manage to keep freshness."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Features plenty of flash and sizzle, with gorgeous, inviting mocha, espresso and chocolate notes up front, backed by a dense core of plum sauce, cassis, blackberry puree and blueberry reduction accents. Long, showing terrific polish, with a lovely lingering loam note and a buried singed apple wood edge that keeps everything driving through the finish. Best from 2016 through 2035. — JM"

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is a rich, powerful, concentrated and well-structured wine, but in comparison to recent vintages (from 2014) this comes off slightly heavy on the mid-palate. However, I love the balance at the ripe and generous finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "This is a wine with split personality. The nose is luxurious, bordering on soppy, but open and lots of fun, with typical overripe aromas of dried apricot and blackberry jam. The palate, though, is packed with tannin and drying oak, as well as surprising, disjointed acid (something I noticed in the second wine too in this vintage). Good concentration and length, but will it ever knit? (AH)"