Freddy R. Troya

9.3

La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou – 2021
AOC Saint-Julien – Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
The second wine of the famed 2nd Growth Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, crafted under the stewardship of the Borie family. The 2021 vintage carries the estate’s signature terroir of deep gravel soils (“beaux cailloux” meaning “beautiful stones”), producing wines with elegance, depth, and longevity. Typical blend leans on Cabernet Sauvignon 64%, Merlot 32% and Petit Verdot 4% for a compelling profile.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry, and dark plum layered with graphite, tobacco, and cedar. Secondary notes of violets, cocoa powder, and subtle spice add depth and intrigue.

Mouthfeel
Firm tannic backbone with a silky texture emerging mid-palate. Medium to full-bodied, offering precision and finesse over sheer power. Fresh acidity frames the fruit, finishing long with mineral-driven elegance.

Food Pairings
Ribeye steak, venison, or duck confit, gourmet burgers, grilled portobello mushrooms, or truffle pizza. Aged Comté, Ossau-Iraty, or sharp Cheddar.

Verdict
A true Saint-Julien expression, structured yet polished, approachable in youth but built to evolve. This second wine offers a taste of Ducru’s pedigree without the grand vin price tag.

Did You Know?
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou earned its name from the large “beautiful stones” (cailloux) that dominate the vineyard’s gravel soils, perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in heat-retentive terroir.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight: For lovers of Left Bank Bordeaux, this is a perfect introduction to Ducru’s magic, refined, powerful, and unmistakably Saint-Julien at a very affordable price point. Cheers! — 8 months ago

Katherine M

9.8

Just like most Hungarian wines I’ve had, it is unique and amazing! Maybe I’m a little biased because my family is Hungarian but I found it to be a memorable and easily drinkable wine — 2 years ago

Mark S.

9.0

Oak, traditional Bordeaux. Oak and Leather. 10 years, rounded , good to drink. Matured black currant, cherry etc. Domaine Francois-Xavier Borie Pauillac Red Blend Bordeaux 2013 @1800(300/G), T Enoteca, 230225 — 3 years ago

caitlin heinz

9.4

Surprisingly light — 4 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.2

Just needed time, both in storage and decant. Better on the 2nd day
Some historical stuff I found online,

The Chateau Caronne Ste. Gemme property has been making wine since the French Revolution and has existed since the mid 1600's. Now in the hands of the Nony family, who is related to the Borie family of multi-chateau fame, the estate is in excellent hands.
The vines average about thirty years of age and are located in the southwest corner of Saint Julien. The grapes are fermented in cement vats where they also undergo malolactic fermentation. From there they're aged in one third new French oak for one year before bottling. — 4 years ago

Ow

9.9

Perfect tasting red. Beautiful flavor explosion on the tongue — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black fruits with light wood, spices, coffee and chocolates.

Medium plus in body and elegant, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, light cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates and black pepper.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 5 year old, second wine from this Fifth Growth Bordeaux winery is drinking very nicely now.

Well balanced with nice complexity. Spicy, rich and fruit forward.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Good by itself or with food.

A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc. Aged in (50% new) French oak barrels for 15 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$40. — 8 months ago

rorolenantais

9.4

31 years old and still looks juvenile. No signs of evolution. First nose packed with red fruits and violet. Not very long, medium bodied, but so inviting ! — a year ago

Jess

9.2

Chateau La Borie Cote du Rhone Villages 2019

Deep ruby color.
Aromas of ripe black plum, cassis, blueberry, blackberry,
Dry. Flavors of baked black fruit, blackberry, blueberry, herbal, spice. Rich tannins are part silky, part firm. Good acidity.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 4/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 3 years ago

Jess

8.9

Medium ruby color.
Aromas of baked blueberry/blackberry, vanilla, clove
Dry. Flavors of baked blueberry/blackberry, vanilla, clove. Fruity and juicy.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 3/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 3 years ago

Sawyer Donovan

9.0

Robust red with black fruit and heady wafts of heath-land shrubs and pepper on the nose. Very full palate of ripe and powerful dense black fruit and berry flavours. — 4 years ago

Ken Z

8.9

Drank 12/21/21

Black currant, baking spice, and hint of green pepper on the nose. Black currant, black cherry, and a bit of peppercorn are supported by medium plus tannins. Nice fruit on the medium finish.

3/22/7/4/3 +50 = 29 — 5 years ago

Mark S.

9.0

Good. Fruity with oak flavor. Complexity 2017 @5100, sommelier - JH, 190830-191010
Black current aroma. Beautiful acidity and good concentration. Minerals 2017 @5100, sommelier - JH, 190830-230808 — 7 years ago

President Obama

9.3

Lovely day! — 8 months ago

Stephen F Laga MD

9.1

2019 vintage stored in my cellar. Very good vintage. Smooth with no aftertaste. Typical Bordeaux flavors. — 9 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Ruby , with a ruby pink rim . Slightly cooler , tobacco , grafite edged Summer fruits, with red cherry and spicy blackberry, cassis . Blackcurrant , spicy red cherry , some grafite , tobacco hints . A little drier and more linear on the palate than the Lalande Borie , but also shorter and a little less complex on the medium minus finish . Drink now and over the next 5-8 years . — a year ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.2

2019 vintage. This seems to be a new wine by Saint-Julien cru classé Ducru-Beaucaillou, but not a word about this wine on their website. They do own 16 hectares of vineyards in Cussac, Haut-Médoc that were part of the vineyards at the time of the 1855 classification and therefore may be used for Ducru-Beaucaillou or Lalande-Borie, or can be used for a Haut-Medoc. To further complicate matters, this wine was bottled in Listrac, where they own Fourcas-Borie. Anyway, wherever the grapes come from, this is a very solid Haut-Médoc. According to a négiocant website it is a blend of 68% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, aged 12 months in barriques (20% new). Dark red with purplish rim. Black and red fruits, violeta, dark chocolate and a subtle smokey oak touch. A medium-bodied, elegant wine with impeccable balance and very good length. Very good value too at less than 20 euros .Abv. 14%. — 3 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.2

Last night we opened the 2018 Le Petit Ducru de Ducru-Beaucaillou. Saint-Julien from the Left Bank Bordeaux. This was previously known as Laland-Borie.

On the nose there is black cherry, blackberry, black plum, nlack currant, mocha, violets, black licorice and earth.

On the palate there is black cherry, blackberry, black currant, cedar, herbaceous notes, spice, black pepper, graphite and earth.

This wine is full bodied with medium + mouthwatering acidity and medium + crunchy mouthcoating tannins the move instantly into a long black fruit gravelly soil finish. I hope everyone is having a great weekend enjoying some fine wines. Please stay safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 4 years ago

Pong Anderson

9.1

Delicious, we’ll developed fruity flavors, slight pencil shaving taste — 5 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.0

2016 vintage. Seductive and well-balanced. Good value for Pomerol standards. This property was bought in 2005 by the Castéja family (Borie-Manoux négociant, owner es of Batailley , Lynch-Moussas, Trottevieille etc) — 7 years ago