Cellar Master Tasting Note (October 2021):
The nose leads with delicate violets and fresh cassis berries, drawing you into the glass to reveal its layers of rich black fruits, kirsch, blackberry coulis and blueberry spread, with cocoa bean, roasted coffee, and nuances of Asian spices, clove and cardamon. The palate has impressive precision with a flesh of densely concentrated fruits wrapped around a very firm structure of tightly knit, cashmere textured tannins, supported by exquisite freshness. The highly perfumed flavours fill the palate with impressive purity and persistence, with a mix of crushed gravel and cassis puree that linger. Pure elegance, power, and grace.

Weather:
mild winter/spring conditions prompted early budburst. Cooler temperatures in April and May delayed flowering, though a rise in temperatures in mid-June resulted in a successful fruit set. Summer was hot, with temperatures higher-than-average from June 23 through to October giving small, concentrated berries. Late July brought welcomed rains, rejuvenated the vines. August and September saw light rains and cooler night temperatures, which helped to retain acidity and prolong the ripening phase, yielding wines with sophisticated tannins and intense, yet elegant aromatics.

Harvest:
Merlot 20 September - 30 September
Cabernet Sauvignon 1st October - 10 October

Powerful and muscular, the 2019 Ducru-Beaucaillou offers up aromas of cassis, raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of violets and iris, framed by a generous application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it's rich but lively, with a deep core of fruit and an ample endowment of ripe, powdery tannins. Fuller maturity and a more rigorous selection over the last two decades have brought what proprietor Bruno Borie characterizes as additional punch to this wine, in the form of unprecedented levels of anthocyanins and tannins, but all that substance and structure will require some patience before we'll see if Ducru is still Saint-Julien's most elegant wine.

◆パーカーポイント：９６+点
◆飲み頃：２０２９〜２０６５年