2018 Petit Ducru

The Merlot-dominated 2018 Le Petit Ducru De Ducru-Beaucaillou (there's 40% Cabernet Sauvignon) is another dense ruby/purple-hued effort offering lots of cedar, green tobacco, damp earth, and darker currant-like fruits to go with a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured mouthfeel. It has ripe tannins and plenty of baby fat that hides solid underlying structure. It's well worth seeking out and is going to put a smile on your face any time over the coming decade as well.

A newcomer to the Ducru-Beaucaillou stable, Le Petit Ducru wine was formerly called Lalande-Borie. It is essentially a third wine, coming from part of the vineyard of Ducru-Beaucaillou. The 2018 Le Petit Ducru is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged for 12 months in barrel, in one-third new oak. It has an alcohol of 14.5%. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with wonderfully pure scents of black and red currants, black raspberries and mulberries plus suggestions of tobacco leaf, bay leaves and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling juicy black fruits flavors with soft tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.