2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou

Storming stuff, vast depths, graphite, pumice stone, salted caramel, fennel, mint leaf, orange peel, crayon, incense and cassis so much texture and appellation typicity along with th gourmet kiss of Ducru. 100% new oak for ageing. Emmanuel Bonneau technical director working alongside owner Bruno Borie.

An absolute legendary wine that's as good as anything out there, the 2016 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is reminiscent of the 2010, yet perhaps with a touch more opulence. A total blockbuster of a wine, it offers huge minerality as well as pure crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, and hints of tobacco that all emerge on the nose, and this fabulous Ducru-Beaucaillou is full-bodied, massively concentrated, and structured, yet somehow never loses its overarching sense of purity, balance, and elegance. This ultra-classic beauty deserves another decade of bottle age and will evolve gracefully for another 3-4 decades. Hats off to proprietor Bruno Borie for another incredible achievement.

' Mild winter conditions resulted in early budbreak and flowering. Heavy rains in May allowed the soils to build up reserves, but brought the looming threats of mildew and oidium. Summer was hot and dry, yet nights were ideally cool. September and October saw warmer than average temperatures, giving rich and ripe fruits, though cool nights and mid-September rains helped to retain freshness and keep alcohol at modest levels.' Harvest: 24 September – 14 October. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot. 18 months in new French oak.  A new team in the winery and a new technical manager, Emmanuel Bonneau, joined the estate in this vintage. Deep and richly coloured. Beautifully fragrant with black fruit. A lovely freshness and sense of refinement, not fully open but much more precise and refined than the 2015. Perfect balance between fruit and structure. Powerful and long, lovely shape.  (JH)