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Beaucaillou translates to "beautiful pebble." This estate takes its name from the stones that lie in the vineyards. Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou is one of the oldest in the Medoc, with records dating back to the 13th century.

The Borie family has been at the helm of the estate since 1940, consistently looking to improve. It is now managed by Bruno-Eugène Borie, the youngest son of the family and third generation of Borie, who has hands-on involvement in making the wine. 

Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou is a world-renowned 2nd Growth classified Chateau. The estate has been one of wine critic's darlings through the years and has received numerous accolades and 90+ scores. They were awarded "the wine of the vintage" from Wine Spectator for their 1995 vintage.

Like the best classified growths that stretch along the estuary, starting from Margaux in the south, up to St Estèphe in the north, this property is perched on a magnificent emplacement of the Médoc with an unimpeded view over the Gironde estuary. The terroir of Saint Julien appellation is characterized by gravel from the Garonne dating back to the first period (Günz) of the Quaternary era; this layer gradually thins out from east to west, dwindling to fine white gravel and eolian sands at the westernmost end of the appellation.

Ducru-Beaucaillou vineyard stretches out along the eastern side of this vast communal terroir, hugging the river in the area where the quaternary gravels are the deepest. Gravel soil presents many advantages: it drains well, reflects the sun onto the grapes in closely planted vineyards, stores the heat of the day and releases it at night, forms a barrier that prevents the soil from drying out during hot summers… It is because of its soil that Ducru-Beaucaillou is often considered the archetypal Saint-Julien.

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, a legendary estate in Bordeaux’s Saint-Julien appellation, is synonymous with elegance, power, and aging potential. Classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, it sits proudly between Pauillac and Margaux, surrounded by esteemed neighbors like Léoville-Las Cases and Beychevelle. The estate’s 75-hectare vineyard is planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), with Merlot making up the remainder.

The 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou is a standout vintage, receiving 97 points from Vinous Media, which hailed it as an “exceptional vintage for Bordeaux.” This wine is everything Ducru-Beaucaillou fans love—full-bodied, concentrated, and layered with purity.

Aging: 18 months in new oak

81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, 13.5%. Incense, black cherries, flowers, spice, and a plethora of red and black fruits. The wine is concentrated, full-bodied, ripe, rich, soft, and polished. There is purity to the fruit, silk to the tannins, complexity on the mid-palate, and length in the finish.

Another legendary Ducru Beaucaillou in the making, the 2020 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou hasn't budged since release. Full-bodied, concentrated, and layered, it has incredible purity in its cassis and darker, almost blue fruits, some classic yet primary tobacco, graphite, and mineral notes, a dense mid-palate, and awesome length on the finish. It's very much in the style of the 2010 and deserves at least a decade of bottle age. I won't be around to taste it, but I suspect this will still be offering pleasure on its 100th birthday. ~100 Jeb Dunnuck

Evocative and moreish, a Ducru that beguiles and delights from the start with a scented nose full of cedar, rose, violets, cherries and damsons - a riot of Cabernet typicity. Vibrant and pulsing on the palate, this has grip and intention from the get-go. Massy, full and wide in the mouth - there’s density and this is broad but it’s delicate too - a sense of weightlessness with such movement and energy and a soft sweet, succulent grip throughout. Powerful with present tannins that unravel slowly so there’s time to appreciate the details as they come. A thoughtful and intellectual wine that leaves a smile on your face. ~99 Decanter

Really perfumed and complex with blackberries, blackcurrants and flowers. Gorgeous cabernet sauvignon character. Full-bodied with really fine, polished tannins. Superb length and intensity. Very compact and seamless. Ethereal. Just goes on and on. ~98-99 James Suckling

With a dark hue, you instantly find incense, black cherries, flowers, spice, and a plethora of red and black fruits. The wine is concentrated, full-bodied, ripe, rich, soft, and polished. There is purity to the fruit, silk to the tannins, complexity on the mid-palate, and length in the finish. The fruit is bright, fresh, and pure with a beautiful sensation of elegance from start to finish. This gem should start to really unfurl after its 10th birthday and provide fabulous drinking for 25-35 years after that. This is a stunningly graceful Ducru Beaucaillou. Produced from blending 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, 13.5% ABV. Picking took place September 11 - September 30. Drink from 2027-2055. ~98 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

The 2020 Ducru Beaucaillou was picked from 11-30 September, matured entirely in new oak for an expected 18 months. It has a very succinct bouquet, not one that leaps from the glass and demands attention, but it unfolds slowly, at its own pace, revealing enticing scents of blackberry, cedar, iris petals and crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. There is a saline spine that runs through this Saint-Julien from start to finish, a quite enormous structure that exerts grip towards the finish. It is not a Ducru-Beaucaillou that goes out to deliver finesse or understatement, but one that you will have to cellar for a few years, pull out and have the superlatives ready. This is an immense and cerebral Ducru-Beaucaillou from Bruno Borie and his team. ~98 Neal Martin, Vinous Media

The 2020 Ducru-Beaucaillou unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, pencil shavings, violets and pipe tobacco, all framed by creamy new oak. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a deep but tightly wound core that's still quite wrapped up in extract and oak tannin, even if it isn't quite as big-boned as its 2019 counterpart. It will require some patience. ~95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

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