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! — 5 days ago

Doug Powers

9.6

Sweet dark plum aromas and flavors, this wine still shows nice structure and has many more years ahead before it reaches maturity, long, lingering finish, excellent Bordeaux that will likely longer than me!! — 12 days ago

with Monique and Jim

John Bratincevic

9.4

Nose: brambly cassis, graphite.

TASTE: the nose plus charcoal and lavender. Wow! So much purpley goodness. A delight! 94. — 20 days ago

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dense dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, chocolates, spices, dark coffee, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward with blackberries, black currants, black plums, tobacco leaf, cedar, light earth, spices, dark coffee, herbs, dark chocolates, peppercorn and black tea.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious 15 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from the great 2010 vintage in Bordeaux. Rich and extracted. Complex and engaging. Powerful and spicy.

Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel. Fruit forward and interesting.

Drinking very nicely now and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food, like a big piece of steak.

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. Aged in (60% new) French Oak barrels for 21 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120. — a day ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. This estate owes its name to Connetable Talbot, the English general & governor of the province of Guyenne who was defeated at the famous Battle of Castillon in 1453. Deep Ruby color, with aromas of black fruits, herb, tobacco and earthy notes. On the palate flavors of plums and black currants with cacao and tobacco spice, on a well balanced frame. Fine tight tannins, long finish ending with fruit, earthy spice and cedar character. Nice! — 3 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2021 vintage. Medium body. Decided, (red) Bordeaux stink stank stunk scents on the nose. Drank a little pretty, drank a little durty. Simply nice St. Julien juice for the price. $27.10 a bottle resto cost. Ridiculous complexity for the price. Picked up a case but may pick up more as this is a personal, cheap chicken, jam stylistically. 10.8.25. — 21 days ago

leon egozi

9.5

NY wine spectator event — 11 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Something for my Wagyu Burger.

I do enjoy this producers style/craft. Also, enjoy the elegance of St. Julien. 2012 is a vintage Sofia & 1 worked harvest at Clerc Milon. So, the 2012 vintage will always be a special vintage for me, even if it was only one that was good to very good for the right terroirs and producers. Just wasn’t special like; 00, 05, 09, 10, 16 or 19 etc..

Having said all that, this Ducru is not the 2012 star of the region. It’s elegant but falls short on depth, character & umpf, which are things I have grown to expect and have experienced from this producer in many vintages.

The palate shows, soft, round & velvety M-M+ tannins. Ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, some of both plums, slightly baked strawberries & circling raspberries. Slightly dry tobacco w/ ash, soft leather, sandalwood, mid, dark, rounded spice, nutmeg, clove, some cinnamon & vanillin, dark most earth with clay & dry leaves, herbaceous notes, very soft & elegant graphite, a touch of of mid berry cola/licorice, dark withering flowers, red roses, nice acidity with nicely balance, good tension/structured, elegant finish that last nearly two minutes and long sets on rounded dark spice.

@EmiratesLoungeDubai — 8 days ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Inky and dark. Powerful fruit with iodine, salinity and a cold dark plum. Very fresh and pure. Savory — 11 days ago

with Bex, Walker and 1 other

Stephen Dodson

9.0

Fruit forward and good drinking but missing the panache of the real deal — 6 hours ago