Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 2014

JAMES SUCKLING: "Fabulous aromas of crushed berries such as blackberries and blackcurrants, not to mention spices. Wet earth and cedar, too. Complex. Full-bodied, yet agile and complete. A dense center palate. Ultra-round tannins. Everything in the right balance. Wonderful to taste but better to drink in 2022."

WEINWISSER: "(90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot) Tiefgründiges, elegantes, klassisches, komplexes Bouquet, verschiedene Beeren, Heidelbeeren, Zedern, Trüffel, Black Currant, Feuerstein. Dichtverwobener, vielschichtiger, aromatischer Gaumen mit viel feinem Tannin, eleganter, klassischer Struktur, vielfältiger, komprimierter Aromatik, feiner, süsser Frucht, sehr langer, kräftiger Abgang mit fast explodierenden Aromen. 19/20 2022 - 2045"

DECANTER: "We are now in the realm of truly young wines, and also in the realm of Ducru just totally hitting its stride and celebrating it potential. This is young and inky in colour, fresh with plenty of St Julien signature: real menthol freshness and cigar box seduction - great Cabernet flavours. This is barely getting going and is a wine that you want to know what happens next. Excellent stuff, spicy, powerful and juicy. 100% new oak."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2014 Ducru Beaucaillou showed extremely well when I tasted it with Bruno Borie during en primeur. Now in bottle, it delivers on that promise with beautifully defined blackberry and raspberry fruit infused with cedar and pencil box aromas. Quintessentially Saint Julien. The palate is very well defined with fine tannin, pitch-perfect acidity, a palpable sense of energy and frisson from start to finish that delivers plenty of tobacco-infused fruit. It is not the perfection-flirting legend that I have read elsewhere; it is just a damn good Saint Julien that is going to drink beautifully over the next 25 to 30 years."

JEB DUNNUCK: "I just love the style of this estate and the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou is an undeniable success in the vintage. Made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot brought up in 100% new French oak, it offers a deep purple color as well as both elegance and power in its crème de cassis, raspberries, cedarwood, graphite, and floral bouquet, with its background oak smothered in fruit. Possessing a classic elegance, full-bodied richness, sweet tannin, and stunning length, it one of the wines of the vintage and will drink nicely for another two to three decades."

FALSTAFF: "Primärfruchtig, nahezu mit noch gärigen Bonbon-Noten, aber auch sehr floral. Wuchtiger Gaumen, öliger Hintergrund, fleischiges Tannin in hoher Menge, das intensiv Druck macht, aber durch die Viskosität und die intensive Mineralität eingebunden ist. Merklich kräftiger Alkohol, dezente Säure. 90 Prozent Cabernet Sauvignon."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This powerful wine has a superb mix of the crispest fruit and great structure. Blackberries and black currants shine through the tannins, expressing the liveliness of the vintage. It is so well delineated with everything in its place. The wine is certainly going to age for decades. Drink from 2027."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deep, dark ruby with purple in its hue, this wine is brimming with smoke, espresso, blackberry, black cherry, licorice, earth, a whole spice box of aromatics and that’s just the foreplay. The lush velour textured tannins, layers of dark berry liqueur and the lasting sensation of fresh, perfectly ripened fruit elevates this wine to the next level. This is the best wine of the appellation and once again, one of the top wines in the vintage. Produced from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, the wine reached 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.81 and is aging in 100% new French oak barrels."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is opulent, with layers of warmed fig, boysenberry and blackberry confiture that loll along, yet are kept going by a graphite note that is well-buried throughout. Alluring black tea, singed mesquite and bittersweet cocoa accents add to the panache. A head-turner. Best from 2020 through 2040."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Not much on the nose. Light, minerally and treacly but without much density. Rather dry tannins on the end. The tannins seem to slightly outweigh the fruit. Lightly salty. Need to wait for this very classic wine – which will never be a blockbuster."