| Region of Production: | Saint-Julien AOP |
| Winery Location: | Saint-Julien |
| Year Established: | 17th century |
| Classification: | second growth, Médoc 1855 |
Vineyard Holdings
75 ha
- 70% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 30% Merlot
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
- Croix de Beaucaillou: Inaugural vintage 1995.
Average Total Production
- 260,000 bottles
Summary
A “Super Second” of Saint-Julien, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was once part of the Beychevelle estate. In the late 17th century the original Beychevelle property fractured and Beaucaillou (“beautiful stones”) was born. It remained in the hands of the Bergeron family from 1720 until 1795, when Bertrand Ducru acquired the property. He built its château in the 1820s and raised its renown as a source for wines, securing its status as a second growth in 1855. The Ducru family didn’t last long, however; the estate weathered two transitions of ownership until its eventual purchase by François Borie in 1941. The Borie family brought in Emile Peynaud to oversee winemaking, by the end of the century they built a new underground chai to quell the systemic TCA contamination that had plagued the winery in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou typically contains 80-85% Cabernet Sauvignon and ages for 18 months in 50-80% new oak. A Parker favorite in the new millennium, the modern wines are typically rich, polished, and very dense.
Producer Website: Château Ducru-Beaucaillou