2017 Ducru Beaucaillou

' Spring frosts in April were fortunately avoided thanks to our privileged location next to the Gironde. Budbreak and flowering were early, followed by heavy rains in June. The weather improved in July, and August was hot and dry. September saw welcome rains for the first half followed by dry conditions during the second half, enabling full ripening.' Harvest: 18 September – 30 September. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot. 18 months in new French oak. Very dark with black core. Dusty, leafy cassis. Almost a minerally note. But pure-fruited. Juicy, elegant and fine-boned. Lovely freshness.  (JH)

Proving that Ducru is so often able to rise above challenging years, this is one of the wines of the vintage, showing beautifully even at six years old. Lovely dark spices, intense and concentrated blackcurrant and black cherry fruits. The tannins are more softly spoken and finely boned than in vintages like 2015 and 2016, but they are plentiful and support the fruit, and the signature graphite and mint leaf sign-off is a textbook example of St Julien finesse. Harvest September 18 to 30. 100% new oak. Eric Boissenot consultant, Emmanuel Bonneau technical director.

The 2017 Ducru-Beaucaillou appears to have gained a little opulence since I last tasted it, just after bottling. Here it is armed with precocious blackberries, bilberry, violet petals and potpourri. Wonderful definition. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte, saturated tannins, superb intensity yet a Ducru-Beaucaillou with linearity and strictness. It is elevated by a saline finish that leaves the tongue tingling afterwards. A very fine Saint-Julien, it needs 4-5 years in the cellar. Tasted at the Ducru Beaucaillou vertical at the château.